Walla Walla County, WA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited materials
- Dead animals, explosives, raw sewage
- Also barred
- Burning materials
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, fine plus up to 90 days jail
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate offense
- Governing sections
- WWCC §§ 8.08.020, 8.08.060
- Enforced by
- Community Development, Sheriff's Office
Summary
Illegal dumping in unincorporated Walla Walla County covers more than trash: Section 8.08.020 bars dumping dead animals, explosives, raw sewage, and burning materials anywhere covered by Chapter 8.08, and Section 8.08.060 makes any violation of the chapter a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine plus up to ninety days in jail, with every additional day of violation charged separately.
The dumping of the following material is prohibited: ... C.Dead animals;D.Explosives;E.Raw sewage;F.Burning materials; ... Anyone violating or failing to comply with the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be subject to a fine of not more than hundred dollars or to imprisonment of not more than ninety days or both such fine and imprisonment. Each day a violation of this chapter continues shall be considered a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
Section 8.08.020 sets out the full list of materials Walla Walla County bars from dumping under its solid waste handling chapter: unboxed paper, dead animals, explosives, raw sewage, burning materials, trees and brush, and waste building or demolition debris. Dead animals, explosives, raw sewage, and burning materials in particular go beyond ordinary trash and pose immediate health or safety hazards, which is why the chapter singles them out by name rather than leaving them to a general prohibition. Section 8.08.060 sets the penalty for any violation of Chapter 8.08 at a misdemeanor: a fine, imprisonment for not more than ninety days, or both, and it specifies that each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense, so a dump site left in place accrues a new charge daily rather than a single one-time fine.
Section 8.08.050 folds the state's minimum functional standards for solid waste handling, the state landfill criteria, and the solid waste handling standards under WAC Chapters 173-304, 173-351, and 173-350 into the county code by reference, giving the Community Development Department and the Sheriff's Office a second layer of state standards to cite alongside the county's own prohibited-materials list. Enforcement of an illegal dumping complaint in the unincorporated county typically runs through Community Development code enforcement or the Sheriff's Office, either of which can refer a continuing violation for prosecution as a misdemeanor.
Violations & Fines
Dumping any material listed in Section 8.08.020, including dead animals, explosives, raw sewage, or burning materials, is a misdemeanor under Section 8.08.060: a fine, up to ninety days in jail, or both, with each day the material remains in place charged as its own separate offense rather than a single violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping a dead animal or raw sewage on unincorporated county land a criminal offense?
If I leave illegally dumped material in place, does the fine apply only once?
Who enforces illegal dumping complaints in unincorporated Walla Walla County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Walla Walla County
Compare Walla Walla County to another location·View the Washington trash & recycling overview
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