Pender County, NC Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Road hauling rule
- Yard waste must be covered or tied down
- Convenience center
- Yard waste drop-off barred, § 26-9(b)(11)
- Governing section
- Pender County Code § 26-16(n)
- Enforcing agency
- Pender County Solid Waste Department
- Misdemeanor fine
- $50 to $500 per violation
- Nuisance rule
- Unauthorized piles are a public nuisance
Summary
In unincorporated Pender County, yard waste placed alongside or hauled on public roads must be securely covered or tied down under County Code § 26-16(n), and residents cannot drop yard waste off at any county convenience center under § 26-9(b)(11). The Solid Waste Department enforces both rules, and violations carry the same misdemeanor and civil fines as other solid-waste offenses.
(11)It shall be unlawful to deliver or cause to be delivered or to deposit yard waste at a convenience center. ... (n)Yard waste. Yard waste placed adjacent to or transported upon public roads shall be securely covered or tied to prevent the depositing thereof on such roads or the property of any person.
Full Breakdown
Section 26-9(b)(11) flatly bars delivering or depositing yard waste at a county convenience center, one of the specific restrictions the code places on those sites alongside bans on out-of-county waste, unauthorized scavenging and commercial dumping. Separately, § 26-16(n) requires that any yard waste placed next to a public road, or being transported on one, be securely covered or tied down so it cannot blow or fall onto the roadway or a neighbor's property. Because convenience centers are off-limits for yard waste, residents must use another method approved under § 26-14, such as a private yard debris hauler or a method the solid waste director has published as generally approved.
Piles of leaves, limbs or clippings that are allowed to accumulate on a lot or roadside in violation of these rules can also trigger § 26-16(a), which declares any unauthorized accumulation of solid waste on a lot, street or private property a public nuisance. The Pender County Solid Waste Department enforces Chapter 26 across the unincorporated county.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the yard-waste rules in Article II is a misdemeanor under G.S. § 14-4, punishable by a fine of $50 to $500 per violation under § 26-23(a), and the county may separately pursue a civil penalty in the same range as a recoverable debt under § 26-23(b). Each day loose or uncovered yard waste remains on a road or accumulates on a property counts as a separate offense under § 26-23(d).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I drop off yard waste like tree limbs at a Pender County convenience center?
What are the rules for hauling brush or leaves on county roads?
What happens if yard waste is left to pile up on my property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pender County
Compare Pender County to another location·View the North Carolina trash & recycling overview
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