Shelby County, TN Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit fee
- $250.00/year, nonrefundable
- Issuing agency
- Memphis & Shelby Co. Construction Code Enforcement
- Per-tire dumping fine
- $50.00 per tire
- General violation fine
- $50.00 civil penalty per offense
- Effective date
- Article effective January 1, 2014
- Fund
- Fees deposited to Tire Disposal Fund
Summary
Shelby County has no curbside recycling ordinance for households; its one recycling-specific rule targets tire businesses. Any shop in the unincorporated county that resells tires or generates waste tires needs an annual $250.00 permit from the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement, which also runs random compliance inspections.
All tire businesses located within the unincorporated areas of the county engaging in the resale of tires or the generation of waste tires shall be issued a permit annually by county, by and through the Memphis and Shelby County office of construction code enforcement for a nonrefundable fee of $250.00. The county will conduct random inspections of such tire businesses for the sake of monitoring compliance with the foregoing permit requirement.
Full Breakdown
00 fee, with random inspections to confirm compliance. The article, adopted by Ordinance No. 386 and amended by Ordinance No. 441 effective January 1, 2014, was written to keep waste tires from becoming a health hazard and to fund a county disposal and recycling program (§ 8-653). Waste must move through a manifest system tracking each shipment from the generating business to an approved waste tire disposer or a county-licensed waste tire recycling facility (§§ 8-654, 8-661), and generators may not simply discard tires: unusable tires must go to an authorized tire disposal or recycling facility (§ 8-658).
Enforcement is split between the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement, and the Shelby County Division of Public Works, all of which may enter regulated property to inspect for violations (§ 8-663). Fees collected under the article go into a dedicated Tire Disposal Fund used only to pay for collection and disposal costs (§ 8-666).
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of the tire article is a civil penalty of $50.00 per offense, set by the county's general sessions court, with each day of continued violation a separate offense (§ 8-664). Improperly storing or dumping a tire is a separate $50.00 offense per tire, and dumping from an identifiable vehicle draws a $50.00 traffic citation that can lead to impoundment under § 24-199 until fines, costs and towing/storage fees are paid. The county may also seek an injunction against a violator (§ 8-665).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Shelby County require a permit to run a tire business?
Is there a general curbside recycling ordinance in Shelby County?
What happens if a tire business dumps used tires illegally in Shelby County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shelby County
Compare Shelby County to another location·View the Tennessee trash & recycling overview
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