Spalding County, GA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Spalding County's Litter Control Ordinance, Code sections 11-2001 through 11-2007, makes it unlawful for anyone to dump, deposit, throw, or leave litter, defined broadly to include rubbish, waste material, refuse, garbage, trash, debris, and dead animals, on public or private property or waters in the unincorporated county. Narrow exceptions apply only when the property is designated by the Board of Commissioners or the State of Georgia for litter disposal, the litter goes into an installed receptacle, or the person is the property owner or tenant, or has that person's consent.

Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense under section 11-2005. Courts must impose escalating minimum fines: not less than $250 for a first conviction, not less than $500 for a second, and not less than $1,000 for a third or subsequent conviction. Judges can order a convicted person to remove litter, including litter left by others, from up to one mile of public right-of-way, or from private property with the owner's permission. A defendant unable to pay the fine can work it off at a $10 credit per hour of litter removal.

Courts can publish the names of persons convicted under section 11-2003. Under section 11-2006, litter thrown from a vehicle, boat, or airplane is prima facie evidence against the operator, and litter bearing a person's name creates a rebuttable presumption that person violated the article. All Spalding County law enforcement officers, and any county officer or employee authorized to enforce the Code, are empowered under section 11-2007 to enforce the litter article in the unincorporated area.