Harnett County, NC Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 50.08(B)(4)(c)
- Standard debris fee
- $25 per ton
- Free category 1
- Leaves and grass clippings
- Free category 2
- Limbs under 6 in., under 6 ft
- Free category 3
- Clean, unpainted wood under 6 ft
- Fee authority
- G.S. §§ 153A-292, 153A-293
Summary
Harnett County charges $25 per ton to dump stumps, limbs, leaves, and construction debris at the demolition landfill, but waives that fee entirely for separated yard waste: leaves and grass clippings, small limbs, and clean natural wood.
A fee of $25 per ton shall be collected from individuals, commercial, municipal, and industrial haulers that deposit stumps, limbs, leaves, concrete, brick, wood, construction debris, and uncontaminated earth in the demolition landfill. Thereafter, said fee per ton, shall be established by the Board of Commissioners in the annual budget ordinance. There will be no charge for yard waste delivered separated in the following categories: 1. Leaves and grass clippings only; 2. Limbs under six inches in diameter and six feet or less in length; and/or 3. Wood products; clean and in natural state (without paint and the like and six feet or less in length).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-7: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through 11-18-2024; and State Legislation current through 2024 Legislative Service #2).
Full Breakdown
08(B)(4)(c) of the county code sets the fee for yard-type debris at the demolition landfill and then carves out a no-charge lane for residents who separate their material properly. The base rule: individuals and commercial, municipal, and industrial haulers pay $25 per ton to deposit stumps, limbs, leaves, concrete, brick, wood, construction debris, and uncontaminated earth at the demolition landfill, with that per-ton rate reset annually by the Board of Commissioners in the budget ordinance. But three categories of yard waste, if delivered separated out from other debris, carry no charge at all: leaves and grass clippings only; limbs under six inches in diameter and six feet or less in length; and wood products that are clean and in their natural state, without paint, and six feet or less in length.
Mixing yard waste with other debris, or bringing in limbs or wood that exceed those size limits, drops the load back into the $25-per-ton category. §§ 153A-292 and 153A-293, which authorizes the county to charge for both availability of and use of its disposal facilities, and it has applied since the division took effect July 1, 1992.
Violations & Fines
Yard waste that isn't properly separated into the three no-charge categories, or that exceeds the six-inch diameter or six-foot length limits, is billed at the standard $25-per-ton rate under § 50.08(B)(4)(c) rather than accepted free; unpaid facility-use fees can be pursued through the collection and enforcement procedures in § 50.08(B)(5).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a fee to dump yard waste in Harnett County?
How small do limbs need to be to dump for free?
Can painted wood go in the free yard waste category?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Harnett County
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