El Dorado County, CA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited
- Dumping/scattering waste on any road or property
- Also covers
- Visible accumulation of junk/refuse on private land
- Enforcement
- Enforcement Official, nuisance abatement under Ch. 9.02
- Cost liability
- Owner and responsible person, jointly and severally
- Emergency power
- Summary abatement for imminent danger
Summary
Dumping, scattering or discarding litter or solid waste on any road, right-of-way, or public or private property in unincorporated El Dorado County is unlawful under Code Section 8.42.700. Visible accumulations of trash, junk or refuse on private land are barred the same way.
It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, dump, scatter, discard, place or deposit litter or solid waste in any manner or amount on any highway, road, right-of-way, or public or private property within the unincorporated area of the County, except in containers or in areas lawfully provided for or permitted for that use.B.The existence or accumulation, without the authority of the County, of litter, trash, scrap materials, junk parts, garbage or refuse of any kind upon private property shall be prohibited, provided that said refuse is visible to the occupants of an adjacent or nearby parcel of real property, or to the users of any right-of-way. It shall be unlawful to allow accumulations of wastepaper, litter or combustible or flammable waste materials or rubbish of any kind to remain in any court, yard, vacant lot or open space.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
700(A) makes it unlawful for anyone to throw, dump, scatter, discard, place or deposit litter or solid waste on any highway, road, right-of-way, or public or private property in the unincorporated County, unless it goes into a container or area lawfully provided or permitted for that use. Subsection (B) reaches beyond active dumping to cover accumulation: it prohibits letting litter, trash, scrap materials, junk parts, garbage or refuse of any kind build up on private property without County authorization, as long as that refuse is visible to an adjacent parcel's occupants or to people using a nearby right-of-way, and separately bars letting wastepaper, litter, or combustible or flammable waste pile up in any court, yard, vacant lot or open space. 02 procedures, with the cost charged jointly and severally to the property owner and whoever created or maintained the dumping. 310.
Violations & Fines
Illegal dumping or letting visible trash accumulate is unlawful under Section 8.42.700 and triggers nuisance abatement under Section 8.42.800, with cleanup costs billed jointly to the property owner and the person responsible; imminent health or safety hazards can be summarily abated before a post-abatement hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is illegal dumping against the law in El Dorado County?
Can I be cited for trash piling up on my own property?
Who pays to clean up illegally dumped waste?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Dorado County
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