Upper Darby, PA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibition on accumulation/disposal
- Upper Darby Code § 461-2
- Private dump/landfill ban
- Upper Darby Code § 461-6
- Approval needed
- Express written Township approval
- Max penalty
- $1,000 per day plus attorneys' fees
- Lesser ordinance penalty
- Up to $600 per day
- Additional remedy
- Court of equity abatement, § 461-8
Summary
Upper Darby bans anyone from accumulating or disposing of solid waste on any property except through licensed collection channels, and separately bars using any property as a public or private dump, transfer station, or landfill without the Township's written approval. Violators face civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day plus attorneys' fees.
§ 461-2. Prohibitions. It is hereby declared to be unlawful and a public nuisance for any person to accumulate upon any property in this municipality any municipal solid waste or to dispose of it except in accordance with this article and other applicable laws, ordinances or regulations.
§ 461-6. Private dumps, transfer stations, and landfills prohibited. No person shall use or permit to be used any property within the municipality as a public or private dump, transfer station, or landfill for municipal solid waste, whether generated within the municipality or elsewhere, without the express written approval of the municipality.
Full Breakdown
Upper Darby Code § 461-2, Prohibitions, declares it unlawful and a public nuisance for any person to accumulate municipal solid waste on a property, or to dispose of it, except in accordance with the solid waste article and other applicable laws. Section 461-6, Private dumps, transfer stations, and landfills prohibited, goes further: no person may use or permit any property in the Township to be used as a public or private dump, transfer station, or landfill for municipal solid waste, whether the waste originated inside or outside the Township, without the Township's express written approval.
Both sections sit in Chapter 461, Solid Waste, Article I, adopted by Ordinance No. 2702, which also requires that collectors be licensed by the Township under § 461-4 and deliver waste only to the county-designated disposal site under § 461-5. Beyond the civil penalty track, § 461-8 lets the Township pursue a continuing violation that constitutes a nuisance in fact, or that the governing body deems a nuisance, through a court of equity for abatement, independent of the fines under § 461-7.
Violations & Fines
Section 461-7 makes illegal dumping enforceable by civil complaint under the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure. A violation involving building, housing, property maintenance, health, fire, or public safety code carries a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 plus prosecution costs and Township attorneys' fees; any other ordinance violation carries not more than $600 under the same terms. Each day a violation continues, and each violated subsection, counts as a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to dump trash on private property in Upper Darby?
Can I use my own land as a small dump or transfer point for waste?
What is the maximum fine for illegal dumping in Upper Darby?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Upper Darby
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