Stearns County, MN Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

4 of Ordinance No. 193, Unauthorized Accumulation or Deposit of Solid Waste, prohibits any unauthorized accumulation, deposit or handling of solid waste not otherwise covered by the county's Solid Waste Ordinance. When the Director finds such a violation, the ordinance authorizes a written notification requiring the property owner or occupant to remove the accumulation or deposit within a period not to exceed 10 days. If it is not removed in that window, the Director can ask the County Board to arrange removal at the owner's or occupant's expense; the County Board may by resolution give the Director standing authority to do this, and the resulting cost becomes a lien on the property, collected as a special assessment on the property taxes.

4 is explicit that using this cleanup-and-lien mechanism does not preclude the county from also pursuing civil or criminal penalties against whoever is responsible for the dumping. 1 makes owners, lessees and occupants responsible for keeping solid waste stored so it cannot be scattered by wind or weather onto public or private property, and bars occupying any building without adequate sanitary storage and collection facilities. 3 separately forbids depositing solid waste into any stream or other body of water anywhere in the county.