Utah County, UT Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned acts
- gutter/ditch dumping, chemical waste, unapproved premises
- Enforcing agency
- Utah County Health Department
- Max fine
- $1,000 per Section 1.04.010
- Max jail term
- 6 months per violation
- Continuing violation
- each day a separate offense
- Exception
- Health Department-designated dumping areas only
Summary
Utah County makes it a crime to sweep garbage into any gutter or ditch, drain petroleum products or chemical waste into any ditch or waterway, or dump refuse, trash, or hazardous waste on any premises unless the County Health Department has designated and approved the site. The Health Department investigates every complaint.
It shall be unlawful for any person to sweep or deposit garbage, paper, or other rubbish into any gutter or ditch within the county limits, or to empty any swill, house slops, or other filthy refuse in any gutter or ditch within the county limits. It shall be unlawful to deposit or dispose of used petroleum products or other chemical waste in any gutter, ditch, or body of water in the county. It shall also be unlawful for any person to dump any refuse, garbage, paper, trash, junk, market waste, trade waste, night soil, used petroleum products or other hazardous chemical waste on any premises in the county, except in an area designated and approved by the County Health Department.
Full Breakdown
060 bans three overlapping acts: sweeping or depositing garbage, paper, or rubbish into a gutter or ditch; emptying swill, house slops, or filthy refuse into a gutter or ditch; and dumping refuse, garbage, trash, junk, market waste, trade waste, night soil, used petroleum products, or other hazardous chemical waste on any premises, unless the County Health Department has designated and approved the dumping area. A separate clause in the same section bans depositing used petroleum products or other chemical waste into any gutter, ditch, or body of water in the county.
020 puts the County Health Department in charge of enforcement and lets it issue permits and set fees for scavenger and garbage-hauling operations. 200 lets the Health Department order the responsible party to haul garbage, manure, ashes, and other refuse to a designated disposal site within a reasonable time after notice. 010 applies: the act is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in the county jail, or both, and each day the unlawful dumping or discharge continues is charged as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
A dumping violation under Section 9.04.060 is punishable, under the Title 1 general penalty in Section 1.04.010, by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in the county jail, or both, with each additional day of violation treated as a new offense. The County Health Department can also declare the condition a public nuisance and order the property owner to remove the waste and restore the site at the owner's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I dump yard waste or trash on my own unincorporated Utah County property?
What is the penalty for illegal dumping in unincorporated Utah County?
Does the dumping ban cover used motor oil or chemicals?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Utah County
Compare Utah County to another location·View the Utah trash & recycling overview
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