Story County, IA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- First offense penalty
- up to $750 civil penalty
- Repeat offense penalty
- up to $1,000 civil penalty
- Repeat offense trigger
- each 24-hour period past cure deadline
- Legal classification
- county infraction / public nuisance
- Enforcement
- County Engineer identifies, County Attorney prosecutes
Summary
Dumping trash, junk, rocks, corncobs, brush, vehicles or machinery on a Story County secondary road right-of-way without the County Engineer's written pre-authorization is a declared public nuisance and a county infraction under § 33.02-33.03, punishable as a civil penalty under § 3.02.
3. “Unauthorized use of the County secondary roadway right-of-way” means any use of the County secondary roadway right-of-way that is not pre-authorized in writing by the Story County Engineer ... the placement of trash, junk, rocks, corncobs, brush, vehicles, machinery or other items on or in the County right-of-way; and the placement of billboards, signs, hazardous mailbox supports, and advertising devices on the County right-of-way. ... ... 1. The unauthorized use of the County secondary roadway right-of-way in Story County is hereby declared a public nuisance and is prohibited. 2. The unauthorized use of the County secondary roadway right-of-way shall be a County Infraction as defined in Section 331.307 of the Code of Iowa. 3. The penalty for the unauthorized use of the County secondary roadway right-of-way shall be a civil penalty as provided in Section 3.02 of this Code of Ordinances.
Full Breakdown
02(3) of the Story County Code of Ordinances defines unauthorized use of the county secondary roadway right-of-way to include, among other things, the placement of trash, junk, rocks, corncobs, brush, vehicles, machinery or other items on or in the right-of-way, along with billboards, signs, hazardous mailbox supports and advertising devices. 02. 04(6)(B) is a separate offense. 05. Anyone who authorizes or contracts with another party to dump on the right-of-way, including a landlord who knows about a tenant's dumping, can be held responsible alongside whoever physically dumped the material.
Violations & Fines
Illegally dumping on county right-of-way is a county infraction under § 33.03, carrying a civil penalty of up to $750 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for each repeat offense, with every 24-hour period after the Engineer's removal deadline counting as a new offense. The County Engineer identifies violations and the County Attorney enforces them; abatement costs can be assessed against the responsible person or the property under § 33.05.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping trash on a county road right-of-way illegal in Story County?
What is the fine for illegal dumping on Story County right-of-way?
Who enforces illegal dumping violations on Story County roads?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Story County
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