Rock Hill, SC Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

City Code § 17-72 defines illegal dumping as any unpermitted or unregistered solid waste disposal, including an ongoing accumulation of garbage or refuse, and lets the city declare it a nuisance. It is unlawful for any person, or any property owner who allows another person, to dispose of solid waste anywhere in the city except at a facility approved by the city or the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Owners, lessees, occupants, or agents must remove accumulated waste as often as necessary and limit property access to curb indiscriminate dumping.

When the public works director finds a nuisance accumulation, the director serves written notice by hand delivery, mail, or posting on the property, and the recipient has ten days to remove the waste before facing a misdemeanor charge under § 17-72(5). 00 for each subsequent violation, with appeal available through administrative review under § 17-9. If nothing is done within 20 days of notice, the public works director may enter the property, remove and dispose of the waste, and bill the owner the actual labor and expense cost plus a 50 percent administrative surcharge; unpaid bills become a lien on the property after 30 days.

Investigators may also use return addresses or other identifying information found in dumped waste to trace responsibility. 00 or up to 30 days imprisonment, with each continuing day of violation treated as a separate offense.