Sammamish, WA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SMC 12.05.050 (adopts KCC 12.36.010)
- Conduct barred
- dumping trash in waterways
- Penalty basis
- SMC 9.05.050, general criminal code
- Misdemeanor max
- 90 days jail / $1,000 fine
- Gross misdemeanor max
- 1 year jail / $5,000 fine
Summary
Sammamish Municipal Code 12.05.050 adopts King County Code 12.36.010, which prohibits dumping trash in waterways, as the City's littering and pollution offense. Because the code classifies it as a crime rather than a civil infraction, a conviction can carry jail time and a fine under the general criminal penalty schedule in SMC 9.05.050.
12.05.050 Littering and pollution. The following provisions of the King County Code as presently constituted or hereinafter amended are adopted by reference: KCC 12.36.010 Dumping trash in waterways prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance O2026-598, and legislation passed through August 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
05 of the Sammamish code, titled 'Offenses,' handles littering and pollution by cross-adopting King County law rather than writing new local text. 010 Dumping trash in waterways prohibited,' folding the county's ban on dumping trash into local waters directly into the Sammamish code. 070 'for penalty and other related provisions,' meaning illegal dumping is punished under the City's general criminal code rather than a standalone dumping-fee schedule. 040, any offense for which imprisonment is authorized is a crime, classified as either a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor.
050 sets the default punishment: a misdemeanor carries up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, while a gross misdemeanor (or any unclassified crime) carries up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. 050(6) directs that the state RCW penalty controls. 05 alongside boating, firearms, fraud and other King County-adopted offenses enforced by the Sammamish police department.
Violations & Fines
Dumping trash in a waterway under adopted KCC 12.36.010 is prosecuted as a crime under SMC 12.05.050, punished per the general schedule in SMC 9.05.050: up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine for a misdemeanor, or up to one year and/or a $5,000 fine if classified as a gross misdemeanor, with the RCW penalty controlling if it conflicts with the City's.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sammamish
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Illegal Dumping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle illegal dumping.