Champaign County, IL Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Champaign County only
- Nuisance trigger
- Yardwaste, brush or cut timber pile-up
- Drop-off site
- Landscape Recycling Center, 1210 E. University Ave, Urbana
- Alternative
- Filed hauler letter to Environment & Land Use Committee
- Notice period
- At least 15 days to abate
- Minimum settlement fine
- $100
- Court fine range
- $100-$500 first, $200-$500 later
Summary
In unincorporated Champaign County, letting yardwaste, brush or cut timber pile up outside a licensed facility is a public nuisance under the county's Public Nuisance Ordinance. Residents must haul it to the Landscape Recycling Center in Urbana or arrange a filed collection-alternative hauler, since open burning of landscape waste is separately restricted within the county's Prohibited Burn Area.
A. Deposition, accumulation, maintenance or disposal other than in properly permitted and/or licensed facilities of: ... 3. yardwaste, brush or cut timber. ... LANDSCAPE WASTE COLLECTION ALTERNATIVE: Any alternative for the removal of LANDSCAPE WASTE from properties within a PROHIBITED BURN AREA other than that of an individual owner paying a fee to drop off LANDSCAPE WASTE at the Landscape Recycling Center located as 1210 East University Avenue, Urbana, or paying a service provider or contractor to collect the LANDSCAPE WASTE from the property on which the LANDSCAPE WASTE was generated.
Full Breakdown
Champaign County's Public Nuisance Ordinance, adopted October 20, 2016 and enforced by the Zoning Administrator and the Champaign County Sheriff, governs unincorporated land only; the City of Champaign and the City of Urbana enforce their own separate codes. A). 2): either paying a fee to drop material at the Landscape Recycling Center, 1210 East University Avenue in Urbana, or hiring a service provider or contractor to haul it away, with that provider required to send a written letter to the Chair of the Environment and Land Use Committee confirming the alternative is available. G. D), unless the activity is ongoing or poses imminent peril, in which case immediate action can be ordered. B). 4).
Violations & Fines
A substantiated yardwaste pile draws a written notice of violation requiring abatement within at least 15 days (Section 4.3.D); each additional day counts as a separate offense (Section 6.1.B). Owners can settle for the $100 minimum fine (Section 6.3) or be prosecuted by the State's Attorney, risking $100-$500 per offense on a first conviction and $200-$500 on later ones (Section 6.4), plus injunctive relief or county abatement with costs liened on the property (Section 6.5).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I stockpile brush or yard waste in my yard in unincorporated Champaign County?
Where do I take yard waste in Champaign County?
Can I burn my yard waste instead of hauling it away?
What happens if I ignore a notice of violation for a yardwaste pile?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Champaign County
Compare Champaign County to another location·View the Illinois trash & recycling overview
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