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42 USC § 6944 - Criteria for sanitary landfills; sanitary landfills required for all disposal 

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t42/s6944"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "42 USC § 6944 - Criteria for sanitary landfills; sanitary landfills required for all disposal"
title_number: 42
title_name: "THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE"
section_number: "6944"
section_name: "Criteria for sanitary landfills; sanitary landfills required for all disposal"
chapter_number: 82
chapter_name: "SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL"
subchapter_number: "IV"
subchapter_name: "STATE OR REGIONAL SOLID WASTE PLANS"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 89–272, title II, § 4004, as added Pub. L. 94–580, § 2, Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2815; amended Pub. L. 98–616, title III, § 302(b), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3268.)"
---

# § 6944. Criteria for sanitary landfills; sanitary landfills required for all disposal

**(a)** **Criteria for sanitary landfills** October 21, 1976

Not later than one year after , after consultation with the States, and after notice and public hearings, the Administrator shall promulgate regulations containing criteria for determining which facilities shall be classified as sanitary landfills and which shall be classified as open dumps within the meaning of this chapter. At a minimum, such criteria shall provide that a facility may be classified as a sanitary landfill and not an open dump only if there is no reasonable probability of adverse effects on health or the environment from disposal of solid waste at such facility. Such regulations may provide for the classification of the types of sanitary landfills.

**1** **Disposal required to be in sanitary landfills, etc.** [^1][^1]

For purposes of complying with section 6943(2)  of this title each State plan shall prohibit the establishment of open dumps and contain a requirement that disposal of all solid waste within the State shall be in compliance with such section 6943(2)  of this title.

See References in Text note below.

**(c)** **Effective date** The prohibition contained in subsection (b) shall take effect on the date six months after the date of promulgation of regulations under subsection (a).

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**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 89–272, title II, § 4004, as added Pub. L. 94–580, § 2, Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2815; amended Pub. L. 98–616, title III, § 302(b), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3268.)

## Editorial Notes

### References in Text

, referred to in subsec. (b), was redesignated  by , , , and , , .

### Amendments

1984—Subsec. (c).  struck out “or on the date of approval of the State plan, whichever is later” at end.

## Executive Documents

### Transfer of Functions

For transfer of certain enforcement functions of Administrator or other official of Environmental Protection Agency under this chapter to Federal Inspector, Office of Federal Inspector for the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System, and subsequent transfer to Secretary of Energy, then to Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects, see note set out under .