Alameda County, CA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Alameda County Code § 13.08.100(A)
- First-violation fine
- Up to $100
- Repeat-violation fine
- Up to $500 each
- Unpaid fines
- Become a lien on property
Summary
Dumping refuse, garbage, or rubbish anywhere in unincorporated Alameda County outside an approved container is unlawful under Section 13.08.100, with fines climbing from $100 to $500 per violation and a lien if the fine goes unpaid.
A. Littering. No person shall throw, deposit, leave, maintain, keep, or permit to be thrown, deposited, placed, left or maintained, any refuse, rubbish, garbage, or other discarded or abandoned objects...in or upon any portion of the county stormdrain system, or in any roadway, sidewalk...or upon any public or private plot of land in the county, so that the same might be or become a pollutant, except into approved and designated containers or in lawfully established waste disposal facilities.
Full Breakdown
The county's stormwater ordinance bars anyone from throwing, depositing, or leaving refuse, rubbish, garbage, or other discarded material in the stormdrain system, on any roadway, sidewalk, or catch basin, or on any public or private plot of land in unincorporated Alameda County, unless it goes into an approved container or a lawful disposal facility. Section 13.08.130 sets escalating fines, $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second within a year, $500 for each one after that, and lets the county place a lien on the property if an offender doesn't pay within 60 days; a misdemeanor charge under state law is also on the table.
Violations & Fines
First offense: up to $100. Second within a year: up to $200. Third and later: up to $500 each, plus possible misdemeanor prosecution and a property lien if unpaid within 60 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as illegal dumping in unincorporated Alameda County?
Does this apply if I live in Oakland or Hayward?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alameda County
California rules heatmap·Compare Alameda County to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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