Tuscaloosa, AL Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Tuscaloosa enforces illegal dumping through Chapter 13, Article IV. Section 13-62 makes it unlawful for any person to throw, dump, discharge or permit the dumping of gravel, cement, paper, wood, garbage, cans, trash, debris, refuse or litter of any kind on the public streets or ways, in the police jurisdiction, or on public or private premises or a vacant lot; consent of the property owner is a defense for private-property cases. Section 13-62(b) specifically addresses littering from a motor vehicle and creates a prima facie presumption that the driver committed the violation. Section 13-63 bars leaving nails, glass, brush, automobile parts, limbs, grass or other debris in any street or public way, and Section 13-65 prohibits dumping wood, garbage, cans, trash, tires or debris in any drainage ditch or easement. Section 13-66 covers spilling loads from vehicles and requires haulers of garbage and litter to cover and secure loads. Definitions come from Section 16-90, and the article cross-references state law — criminal littering under Code of Ala. 1975 section 13A-7-29 and the Solid Waste Disposal Act, section 22-27-1 et seq. Litter control officers — police, code enforcement officers, and designated transportation and city employees — enforce these provisions under Section 13-79.4, and may cite-and-release using the Uniform Non-Traffic Citation and Complaint.