Spotsylvania County, VA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 19-127, Litter Control Ordinance
- Penalty
- Class 1 misdemeanor (Sec. 19-123)
- Vehicle dumping
- owner/operator presumed responsible (Sec. 19-127(b))
- Uncleaned sites
- County can clean up and lien property after 10-day notice
- Receptacle misuse fine
- $25 (Sec. 19-146)
Summary
Under the Spotsylvania County Litter Control Ordinance, Code § 19-127 makes it unlawful to drop, deposit or discard litter on any public or private property in the county outside authorized receptacles, and § 19-123 makes a violation a Class 1 misdemeanor, the code's most serious misdemeanor tier.
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to drop, deposit, discard, or otherwise dispose of litter in or upon any public or private property within the county including but not restricted to any street, sidewalk, park, body of water and vacant or occupied lot, except in public receptacles or in authorized private receptacles provided for public use, or in an area designated by the state department of health as a permitted disposal site.(b)When a violation of the provisions of this section has been observed by any person, and the matter dumped or disposed of has been ejected from a motor vehicle, the owner or operator of such motor vehicle shall be presumed to be the person ejecting such matter; provided, however, that such presumption shall be rebuttable by competent evidence.
Full Breakdown
Article V of Chapter 19, titled the Spotsylvania County Litter Control Ordinance (Sec. 19-121), defines Litter broadly at Sec. 19-122 to include bottles, glass, crockery, cans, scrap metal, paper, plastic, rubber, garbage, offal, cigarettes and waste building material at construction sites, among other discarded materials. Sec. 19-127(a) bans dropping, depositing, discarding or otherwise disposing of litter on any street, sidewalk, park, body of water, or vacant or occupied lot, public or private, except into a public receptacle, an authorized private receptacle open to public use, or a site the state department of health has permitted for disposal.
Sec. 19-127(b) adds an enforcement tool for roadside dumping: when litter is observed being ejected from a moving vehicle, the vehicle's owner or operator is presumed to be the person who ejected it, though that presumption can be rebutted with competent evidence. Related duties reinforce the ban: proprietors and business operators must keep the area around their establishment free of litter, including sidewalks, parking lots and loading areas (Sec. 19-128); owners and occupants must keep sidewalks fronting their property free of litter (Sec. 19-129); and construction or demolition site owners, agents and contractors must furnish litter receptacles and collect bulk litter daily (Sec.
19-131). If a commercial, industrial, institutional or construction/demolition property is not cleaned up within ten days of written notice, Sec. 19-133 lets the County do the cleanup itself and bill the owner, and an unpaid bill after thirty days becomes a lien enforceable against the property.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the Litter Control Ordinance, including unlawful disposal under Sec. 19-127, is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Sec. 19-123, higher than Chapter 19's general Class 2 default. Separately, Division 2's receptacle rules (misuse of a public litter receptacle, failure to place one where required) carry a flat twenty-five dollar fine under Sec. 19-146. Uncleaned commercial or construction sites can also be billed for County-performed cleanup, with the unpaid balance becoming a property lien after thirty days (Sec. 19-133).
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as illegal dumping in Spotsylvania County?
Can I be cited for dumping thrown from a car by someone else?
What happens if a business doesn't clean up litter on its property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spotsylvania County
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