Cumberland County, NC Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Sec. 12-15(3)(c); Sec. 12-17(b)(4)
- First offense penalty
- category III civil penalty
- Repeat offense window
- 12 months
- Watershed area surcharge
- +25% penalty
- Payment deadline
- 30 days after assessment
- Enforcing agency
- Stormwater Services
Summary
Cumberland County specifically bans raking or blowing leaves, grass clippings, or other yard waste into storm drains, streams, or any spot where runoff will carry it into the storm sewer system. Yard waste violations carry their own escalating civil penalty schedule, separate from general dumping fines.
It shall be unlawful to place grass clippings, leaves, tree and shrub clippings, or any other yard wastes in any storm drain, stream, stormwater conveyance, or any other location in the county where concentrated stormwater flows will wash such wastes into the municipal separate storm sewer system.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 8).
Full Breakdown
County Code Sec. 12-15(3)(c) makes it unlawful to place grass clippings, leaves, tree and shrub clippings, or any other yard wastes in any storm drain, stream, stormwater conveyance, or any other location in the county where concentrated stormwater flows will wash the waste into the municipal separate storm sewer system. Sec. 12-17(b)(4) sets a dedicated penalty ladder just for yard waste: a first offense draws a category III civil penalty, a second offense within 12 months draws category II, and a third offense within 12 months draws category I, with dollar amounts set by the schedule the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners adopts from time to time.
Sec. 12-17(a) requires written notice of violation before any penalty is assessed, describing the violation and giving a reasonable correction period; only after that period expires without correction does the civil penalty attach. Sec. 12-17(b)(8) adds a 25-percent penalty increase for any yard-waste violation that occurs within a designated water-supply watershed area, on top of the base category amount.
Violations & Fines
A first yard-waste violation is a category III civil penalty; repeat violations within 12 months escalate to category II and then category I under Sec. 12-17(b)(4), with each day of continuing violation counted as a separate offense. Violations inside a designated water-supply watershed area carry an additional 25 percent penalty under Sec. 12-17(b)(8). Penalties are collected as a civil debt if unpaid within 30 days of assessment, and proceeds go to the county's general fund as nontax revenue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I blow leaves into the street gutter in Cumberland County?
What's the fine for illegally dumping yard waste in Cumberland County?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cumberland County
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