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Harford County, MD Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Approved sites
Tollgate Road facility, Waste Disposal Center compost site
Branch limit
Under 5 inches diameter accepted
Stump/tree limit
Over 6 inches diameter rejected
Penalty
Up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
Self-disposal
Allowed on your own property
Commercial yard trim
Compost facility only

Summary

Harford County bans dumping yard trim anywhere except the Tollgate Road Yard Trim Facility, the compost site at the Harford Waste Disposal Center, or another approved county facility during posted hours. Harford County Code Section 179-7 caps branches at under 5 inches in diameter and stumps or tree sections at 6 inches, and violators face a misdemeanor charge with fines up to $1,000.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Harford County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

A. No person shall deposit yard trim, which shall consist of organic vegetative material and shall include, but not be limited to, grass clippings, brush, weeds, tree limbs or branches less than 5 inches in diameter, anywhere in Harford County other than at the Tollgate Road Yard Trim Facility, the compost facility at the Harford Waste Disposal Center or any other County owned, operated or approved facility other than during posted hours of operation. B. No person shall deposit any items for disposal at any County yard trim or compost facility other than residential yard trim. Unacceptable items include...residential refuse and garbage, white goods, furniture, tires, mattresses, toilets, stone, rocks, dead animals, construction and demolition debris, lumber, stumps or any section of a tree greater than 6 inches in diameter... D. Anyone found violating this section shall be deemed guilty of creating a public nuisance detrimental to the health of County citizens. A violation...shall be subject to punishment by a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than 6 months or both in the discretion of the court.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4988582; v46 updated 2026-06-09; through 06-09-2026).

Full Breakdown

Section 179-7, added by Bill No. 03-58, defines yard trim as organic vegetative material including grass clippings, brush, weeds and tree limbs or branches less than 5 inches in diameter, and bars depositing it anywhere in the county other than the Tollgate Road Yard Trim Facility, the Harford Waste Disposal Center compost facility, or another county-owned, operated or approved site, and only during that site's posted operating hours. Those facilities also reject anything beyond residential yard trim: white goods, furniture, tires, mattresses, toilets, stone, rocks, dead animals, construction and demolition debris, lumber, and stumps or tree sections over 6 inches in diameter are all turned away, and yard trim from commercial activity is accepted only at the Waste Disposal Center compost facility.

Section 179-7C carves out an exception letting a property owner compost or otherwise dispose of yard trim on their own land instead of hauling it to a county site. 1, separately defines "yard waste" to include earth, gravel, stones and boulders alongside compostable material, bars dumping any of it at the Harford Resource Recovery Facility incinerator or the lined sanitary landfill, and instead routes compostable waste generated in the county to any county-owned or operated composting facility.

Violations & Fines

Depositing yard trim outside the approved facilities, during closed hours, or mixing in banned items like tires, stumps over 6 inches or construction debris is a public nuisance violation under Section 179-7D. A conviction is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to 6 months, or both, at the court's discretion; each improper drop-off can be charged separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where am I allowed to dump my yard waste in Harford County?
Only at the Tollgate Road Yard Trim Facility, the compost facility at the Harford Waste Disposal Center, or another county-owned, operated or approved site, and only during that site's posted operating hours. Section 179-7A also lets you compost or otherwise dispose of yard trim on your own property instead of hauling it anywhere.
What size branches and stumps are accepted as yard trim?
Grass clippings, brush, weeds, and tree limbs or branches under 5 inches in diameter count as acceptable yard trim under Section 179-7A. Tree sections or stumps over 6 inches in diameter, along with white goods, furniture, tires, mattresses, toilets, stone, rocks, dead animals, construction debris and lumber, are all rejected at the county's yard trim and compost sites under Section 179-7B.
Can a landscaping company drop off yard trim from a commercial job?
Yes. Section 179-7B accepts commercial yard trim only at the compost facility at the Harford Waste Disposal Center, not at the Tollgate Road Yard Trim Facility, and not outside that facility's posted hours. Residential yard trim can go to either approved county facility during its operating hours.
What is the penalty for illegal yard waste dumping?
Dumping yard trim illegally is a public nuisance violation under Section 179-7D, charged as a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to 6 months, or both, at the court's discretion. Separately, Section 109-9.1 bars depositing broader "yard waste," including earth and stone, at the Harford Resource Recovery Facility or the lined sanitary landfill.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Harford County

All Harford County rules

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