San Bernardino, CA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 8.24.120 Illegal Dumping
- Misdemeanor penalty
- Up to 6 months jail, $1,000 fine
- Waste accumulation limit
- Putrescible waste: 7 days max
- Enforcement agencies
- Code Enforcement, Public Works Dept.
- Cleanup cost
- Billed to owner if notice ignored
Summary
Dumping garbage or waste on any San Bernardino lot, street, alley or waterway is unlawful under Municipal Code Section 8.24.120. Violations are charged as misdemeanors carrying up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, or filed as infractions at the City Attorney's discretion.
(C) Dumping and burying. (1) No person shall dump, place or deposit upon or bury in any lot, land, street, alley, water or waterway within the city any garbage, recyclable materials, organic waste or substance condemned by the County Health Department or any other deleterious or offensive substance; provided, however, the provisions of this chapter shall not apply to any land used by the county or its agents as a public landfill. (2) It is unlawful to collect, dump or deposit any garbage, recyclable materials, organic waste upon any property located within the city belonging to another either with or without the consent of the owner thereof... and it is unlawful to establish or maintain a place for dumping garbage, recyclable materials, organic waste in the city, or to collect, receive and dump any garbage, recyclable materials, organic waste on one's own property, save and except such solid waste as shall reasonably accumulate upon such property in the reasonable and lawful use thereof.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-2: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. MC-1666, passed 8-5-2026).
Full Breakdown
120(C)(1) bars dumping, placing or burying garbage, recyclable materials, organic waste or other offensive substances on any lot, land, street, alley, water or waterway in the city, with an exception only for county-operated public landfills. Division (C)(2) separately makes it unlawful to dump on someone else's property with or without the owner's consent, to maintain a dumping site anywhere in the city, or to collect and dump waste on one's own land beyond what reasonably accumulates from lawful use. Division (A)(1) requires every property owner and occupant to keep the premises clean and bars combustible or putrescible waste from sitting more than one week, or other solid waste from accumulating more than one month, though construction materials under a valid building permit and neatly piled household firewood are excluded.
120(A)(2): code enforcement or Public Works staff who find a violation post a notice of violation giving the owner a chance to come into compliance; if the owner does not respond, the city cleans up the site itself and bills the owner for the cost. 010(A) sets the misdemeanor penalty at up to six months in county jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both.
Violations & Fines
A first illegal-dumping case can be filed as a misdemeanor, up to six months jail and/or a $1,000 fine under Section 1.12.010(A), or, at the City Attorney's discretion, as an infraction. Ignoring a posted notice of violation lets the city clean the site itself and bill the owner for the cost. Every separate violation by the same person counts as a repeat offense for penalty purposes under Section 8.24.130(B)(2).
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as illegal dumping in San Bernardino?
How long can trash sit on my property before it's a violation?
What happens after Code Enforcement finds a violation?
Is illegal dumping a criminal charge?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Bernardino
California rules heatmap·Compare San Bernardino to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Illegal Dumping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle illegal dumping.