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Council restores escalated penalties for solid waste violations, ties fines to fee schedule
Summary
To comply with changes from HB 300, Graham council re-established penalty language for the Solid Waste Ordinance and approved fee schedule fines to take effect July 1, 2026; council also clarified timing for container removal.
Graham, N.C. — The Graham City Council voted May 12 to re-establish penalty procedures for violations of the Solid Waste Ordinance and to place specific fines in the city Fee Schedule.
Assistant City Manager Aaron Holland said amendments to state law (HB 300) removed some local penalty language, requiring the city to restate enforcement options. Under the council action, a first offense receives a written warning; a second offense carries a $50 fee; a third offense carries a $150 fee and the container may be removed until the fee is paid; subsequent violations after the third offense incur the same penalty until a one-year reset from the first offense.
Council asked staff to change ordinance language in Sec. 16-5 to require containers be removed “within 24 hours” rather than “promptly.” City Council approved the fee change and the council consensus was to reflect the change in the fee schedule with budget adoption on June 9, 2026. The fee schedule and penalty language are set to take effect July 1, 2026.
