Dumping garbage, sewage or debris on any street, public property or private property without the owner's consent is a misdemeanor under Pierce County Code 8.32.020. State law RCW 70A.200.060 layers on penalties from a civil infraction up to a gross misdemeanor plus cleanup restitution, depending on the volume of litter.
PCC 8.32.020 makes it a misdemeanor to dump "any sewage, sludge, accumulation of human excrement or garbage in or upon any street, alley, public highway or road... or upon any public park or other public property... or on any private property without the consent of the owner." Separately, PCC 8.30.030 makes it unlawful to dispose of solid waste except at a facility designated by the county Director, a knowing violation being a misdemeanor under PCC 8.30.050. Washington's Model Litter Control Act, RCW 70A.200.060, escalates penalties by volume: a class 2 civil infraction for one cubic foot or less, a misdemeanor above that under ten cubic yards, and a gross misdemeanor over ten cubic yards, plus a cleanup restitution payment.
Illegal dumping is a misdemeanor under PCC 8.32.020 and PCC 8.30.050. Under RCW 70A.200.060 offenders also pay a cleanup restitution payment (up to four times cleanup cost) and may be ordered to remove the litter.
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