Sampson County, NC Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sampson County Code Sec. 2-6-03.B.2, .B.3.E
- Enforcing agency
- Planning and Development Dept. / Sheriff's Office
- First civil penalty
- $100, rising to $500
- Criminal penalty
- Up to $500 fine, 30 days jail
- Court notice period
- At least 72 hours before court date
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Sampson County only
Summary
In unincorporated Sampson County, anyone generating tree and shrubbery trimmings or yard trash must keep them in adequate receptacles capable of holding the material, and trimmings placed near or hauled on public roads must be securely covered or tied down. The Planning and Development Department and Sheriff's Office enforce the county's solid waste ordinance, Sampson County Code Section 2-6-03, with citations and civil penalties for violations.
Every person in possession, charge, or control of any property or project from which construction debris, business trash, refuse generated from outdoor events and festivals, garbage, household trash, industrial waste, tree and shrubbery trimmings, yard trash, or other solid waste is accumulated or produced shall provide adequate and suitable receptacles and/or containers capable of holding all such materials. ... Tree and shrubbery trimmings 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
Sampson County Code Section 2-6-03.B.2 requires every person in possession or control of property from which yard trash, tree and shrubbery trimmings, or other solid waste accumulates to provide receptacles or containers adequate to hold that material. Section 2-6-03.B.3.E adds a transport rule specific to yard debris: trimmings placed next to or hauled along public roads must be securely covered or tied so nothing falls onto the roadway or a neighbor's land. The ordinance applies only outside Clinton, Roseboro, and the county's other incorporated towns, since it governs the areas of Sampson County outside municipal jurisdiction under Section 2-6-01.D.
Failure to remove or correct an unlawful accumulation of yard waste is itself a separate violation under Section 2-6-03.B.3.B, and enforcement rests with Code Enforcement Officers in the Sampson County Planning and Development Department, working with the Sheriff's Office under authority the county draws from N.C.G.S. 153A-136. Officers may issue a warning letter for a first offense, but any citation must give the violator at least 72 hours notice of a district court date.
Violations & Fines
A first offense draws a written warning citation under Section 2-6-03.C; repeat violations bring a $100 civil penalty for the first citation, $200 for the second, and $500 for each later offense, assessed under Section 2-6-03.D.1.A. The same section allows a criminal misdemeanor charge of up to $500 and 30 days in jail, and each day the yard waste remains uncorrected counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special container for yard trash in unincorporated Sampson County?
Can I haul brush to the road without covering it?
What happens if I ignore a warning about yard waste?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sampson County
Compare Sampson County to another location·View the North Carolina trash & recycling overview
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