Scottsdale, AZ Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Sec. 18-6 is Scottsdale's core anti-dumping rule: no person may throw, deposit or dump litter or debris on any land in the city, whether public or private, and the only lawful ways to keep litter or debris on site are in a secure, tight-lidded receptacle awaiting collection or stored inside a building as otherwise permitted by law. Sec. 18-5(3) treats a dumping ground, meaning land or a building used for depositing litter or debris or for wrecking, disassembling, rebuilding or storing three or more vehicles or pieces of machinery, as a public nuisance in its own right, which matters for enforcement because Sec.

18-18 makes any violation that qualifies as a public nuisance an automatic class one misdemeanor rather than a civil citation. If a property has already been used for dumping, Sec. 18-9(d) puts a further duty on the owner or occupant to take measures, such as a fence, a ditch and berm, or posts at four-foot intervals, to stop future dumping, though any such barrier must be built under a required permit. Enforcement follows the same citywide framework as other Chapter 18 violations: the city can issue a notice to abate under Sec.

18-70 giving at least 30 days to clean up before the city abates the site itself and assesses the cost, plus a 5 percent surcharge, as a lien on the land under Secs. 18-73 and 18-74. Civil citations for a first offense run $250 for residential land and $750 for non-residential land under Sec. 18-65, doubling and tripling for repeat offenses within two years, while a criminal conviction under Sec. 18-66 carries a minimum $500 fine for residential land and $1,000 for non-residential land.