St. Louis County, MO Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- First violation (12 months)
- $500 per citation under §§ 607.310 and 607.810
- Second violation (12 months)
- $1,000 per citation
- Maximum on conviction
- $1,000 fine, up to one year in Justice Center, or both
- Citation payment window
- 10 days after receipt of the citation
- Enforcing agency
- Director, St. Louis County Department of Health
- County cleanup billing
- Special tax bill plus $3.00 and $1.00 charges, 8% interest after 30 days
- Appeal to Waste Management Commission
- $300 fee, filed within 15 days of Director's final decision
Summary
St. Louis County bans depositing waste on any land that lacks a current Director-issued license for a landfill, waste processing facility, transfer station or compost facility (§ 607.310), and bans dumping any waste into a stream, spring or body of surface or ground water (§ 607.810). Citations cost $500 for a first violation in 12 months and $1,000 for a second.
No person shall deposit waste on any real estate or permit waste to be deposited on any real estate for which there is no valid and current license, and, if appropriate, renewal license, for the operation of a landfill, waste processing facility, transfer station, compost facility, or yard by-product compost facility issued by the Director, nor shall any person deposit waste on or at any such landfill, waste processing facility, transfer station, compost facility, or yard by-product compost facility in a manner which does not comply with the waste facility plan or material facility plan approved by the Director and the license issued therefor by the Director ... No person shall dump or deposit or permit dumping or depositing of any wastes into any stream, spring, body of surface or ground water, whether natural or artificial, within the boundaries of St. Louis County except as provided herein or as allowed by another jurisdiction concerned with matters of health and having authority to regulate such dumping or depositing and which in fact regulates such dumping or depositing.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Traffic: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 607 of the St. Louis County Revised Ordinances is the Waste Management Code, enforced by the Director of the St. Louis County Department of Health and the deputies, assistants and employees the Director designates. Two sections carry the illegal dumping rule.
Section 607.310(1) bars anyone from depositing waste on real estate, or permitting waste to be deposited there, unless the land holds a valid and current license, including any renewal license, issued by the Director for a landfill, waste processing facility, transfer station, compost facility or yard by-product compost facility. It reaches the dumper and the owner or possessor who permits the dumping. It also covers misuse of a licensed site: waste must go in as the Director-approved waste facility plan, the license and the Chapter's operating provisions require. The only carve-out is residential backyard composting of yard by-products under Section 607.1005.
Section 607.310(2) handles buried waste. When the Director has a reasonable belief that waste burial or filling exists on unlicensed property, the Director can require in writing exploration, test drilling or excavation. If burial or filling is evident, the Director can require complete removal or other remedial work, including a correction plan. If the operator, owner or person in possession refuses, the County is authorized to do the work and collect the cost under Section 607.770. That section has the Director certify the cost, and the County Collector assess it as a special tax bill against each lot or parcel in the owner's name. Each bill adds $3.00 for inspecting and giving notice and $1.00 for issuing and recording, and bills unpaid 30 days after issuance carry 8 percent annual interest.
Section 607.810 covers water. No person can dump or deposit, or permit the dumping or depositing of, any wastes into any stream, spring or body of surface or ground water, natural or artificial, within St. Louis County. The single exception is dumping allowed by another jurisdiction concerned with health matters that has authority to regulate it and in fact does.
Violations & Fines
Both sections appear on the citation list in Section 607.940, so a Department of Health officer with probable cause can issue a citation payable within 10 days of receipt. The Section 607.950 schedule sets $500 for a first violation in a 12-month period and $1,000 for a second, for each offense under 607.310 and for depositing waste in waters under 607.810. Section 607.960 prosecution carries up to $1,000, up to one year in the Justice Center, or both, and each day after written notice to abate is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the fine for dumping waste on unlicensed land in St. Louis County?
Can I be cited if someone else dumps on my property?
What happens if the County cleans up buried waste for me?
Is it legal to dump anything into a creek or pond in the county?
How do I contest an administrative decision under the Waste Management Code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis County
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