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Guide · 6 min read · updated 2026-09-18

Illegal dumping penalties in San Joaquin and Sacramento counties

State fines from $250 to $10,000, local citations up to $25,000 in Sacramento, and the rules that make you liable when someone you hired dumps your junk.

Not legal advice. We haul junk; we are not lawyers. This page states what the code sections say and links each one in the sources below. Laws change and your notice, lease or governing documents control your situation. For a deadline that matters, read the section itself or talk to a California attorney.

The short answer

Dumping waste anywhere that is not a permitted disposal site is illegal under state law and under every city and county code we checked. The state fine starts at $250 and each day the pile stays counts as a new violation (Penal Code §374.3(c) and (e)). At one cubic yard or more, or any amount from a business, it becomes a misdemeanor with up to six months in jail and fines up to $10,000, or $20,000 for a larger business (§374.3(h)).

Local codes stack on top. A Stockton citation starts at $1,000, an unincorporated Sacramento County citation at $1,000, and the City of Sacramento's administrative penalties run up to $25,000.

Two rules catch people who never dumped anything themselves: the owner of the truck or trailer used is liable, and in San Joaquin County the person whose waste got dumped is jointly liable with whoever dumped it.

State law: Penal Code §374.3

§374.3(a) makes it unlawful to dump waste on a road or its right-of-way, on private property without the owner's consent, or on public property not set aside for disposal.

ViolationState fine
First conviction$250 to $1,000
Second conviction$500 to $1,500
Third or later$750 to $3,000
Dumped tiresDouble the fines above
Commercial quantity, first / second / third$1,000 to $3,000 / $3,000 to $6,000 / $6,000 to $10,000, and up to 6 months in jail
Commercial quantity by a business with more than 10 full-time employees$1,000 to $5,000 / $3,000 to $10,000 / $6,000 to $20,000

What counts as a commercial quantity

§374.3(h)(5) defines it as waste "generated in the course of a trade, business, profession, or occupation, or an amount equal to or in excess of one cubic yard." One cubic yard is a pile about three feet on each side. A loveseat and a few bags qualify.

On a commercial-quantity conviction the court must order the offender to remove the waste or pay for its removal (§374.3(h)(3)). If the offender holds a state license, the court notifies the licensing board, which posts the offense on the license holder's public profile (§374.3(h)(4)).

The vehicle can go too. Vehicle Code §23112.7 lets a court impound a vehicle used for dumping for up to six months after a prior misdemeanor conviction, and order it sold after two priors when the waste is over a cubic yard or hazardous.

San Joaquin County and its cities

Unincorporated San Joaquin County (Ordinance Code §§5-10500 to 5-10519). A violation is an infraction: up to $100, then $200, then $500 within a year (§5-10508). The larger exposure is that the county recovers all its abatement and investigation costs (§5-10514). Three rules reach past the person who dumped:

  • Hiring someone: it is unlawful "to have another person or to hire another person to dispose of more than one (1) cubic yard of waste matter who is not legally authorized to dispose of waste matter in the County" (§5-10504(b)).
  • The waste's owner: "A person whose waste matter is illegally dumped is jointly liable for the illegal dumping along with the dumping violator" (§5-10506(b)).
  • The vehicle's owner is liable whether or not they knew how it would be used (§5-10505).

Stockton (Municipal Code chapter 8.104). $1,000 for a first violation, $2,000 for a second within a year and $3,000 after that (§8.104.060), with prior state and county dumping violations counting. The vehicle or trailer owner is liable (§8.104.040), and the city recovers its cleanup costs (§8.104.090).

Lodi (Municipal Code §13.16.130). Dumping refuse anywhere the city has not designated for it is unlawful, and the owner or occupant must remove it at their own expense. There is no dumping-specific fine; the general penalty applies, and administrative citations run $100, $250 and $500 (§1.10.260).

Manteca (§13.02.150) has a nearly identical rule. §13.02.200 requires removal of a solid-waste nuisance within five days of written notice.

Sacramento County and the City of Sacramento

City of Sacramento (City Code §13.10.130). Refuse may not be left anywhere on public or private property except in the containers meant for it. The owner of a vehicle used to do it is liable too (§13.10.130(D)). Penalties (§13.10.150) can be criminal, civil or administrative:

  • Civil: $250 to $25,000 for each violation and each day it continues.
  • Administrative: $100 to $25,000 per violation, in four levels (§1.28.010).
  • Misdemeanor: fined under Government Code §36900.

Unincorporated Sacramento County (County Code §6.20.130 and §6.20.710). A misdemeanor with a fine of at least $1,000 and up to six months in jail, which the county may reduce to an infraction. Commercial quantities are fined under Penal Code §374.3. Administrative citations are $1,000, $1,500 and $3,000 for a first, second and further violation within a year. You have 10 business days from service to request a hearing (§6.20.710(H)).

Where honest people get caught

Most dumping citations do not go to people who meant to dump. The common ways in:

  • The cheap haul. Someone offers to take a garage full for cash. If it ends up on a county road, San Joaquin's joint-liability and hiring rules put you in the frame, and a piece of mail in the pile is how the county finds you. Ask any hauler where the load goes, and ask for the dump ticket.
  • The curb pile. Setting a bulky pickup out before the city's window can be cited as dumping in some cities. Rules for each city are in curbside bulky-item pickup limits.
  • The borrowed trailer. State law and the Stockton and Sacramento codes make the vehicle or trailer owner liable. Lending your trailer lends your liability.
  • The uncovered load. Vehicle Code §23115 requires anything hauled for disposal to be totally covered, and §23114 bars any load from spilling or blowing out. Debris that falls off on Highway 99 is a ticket for the driver.

How to report dumping

  • San Joaquin County, dumping in progress: the Sheriff's non-emergency line, (209) 468-4400. Do not confront anyone. Get a plate if it is safe.
  • San Joaquin County, an existing pile: (209) 468-3074, the My San Joaquin app, or the county's online request form.
  • Stockton: (209) 937-8341, 24 hours, or the Ask Stockton app.
  • Lodi: the Community Improvement Line, (209) 333-6823.
  • City of Sacramento: 3-1-1, (916) 264-5011, or the Sac311 app. The city pays rewards of up to $1,000 on a conviction.
  • Unincorporated Sacramento County: 3-1-1 (916-875-4311 from outside the county) or the Sac County 311 Connect app. Rewards are up to $1,000.

Every public gate, what it charges and what it takes is in where to dump in San Joaquin and Sacramento, 2026. Most residents get one to three free bulky pickups a year with their garbage bill.

If you hire it out, we keep the weight ticket for every load and will show it to you. Prices are on the rate card.

Related guides

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Sources

Every fee above is read from the operator's own published sheet and shown with its effective date. Rates change; call the gate before you load a truck around a number.

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