An old railroad tie may contain wood preservative even when it looks dry or weathered.
Unless reliable records show otherwise, treat it as treated wood.
Before you move it, call your local solid-waste authority or a permitted landfill.
The facility will tell you whether it accepts the tie and how to prepare it.
Never burn a railroad tie in your fireplace, stove, fire pit, or an open pile.
Assume the Tie Is Treated
A railroad tie may contain creosote or another wood preservative even when its surface looks dry or weathered.
You can’t tell whether a tie is untreated from its age, color, or odor.
Don’t sand, chip, mulch, or use the tie as firewood.
The EPA says household creosote-treated wood can usually go through ordinary household trash collection.
You still need to check your state and local requirements.
The EPA also says never to burn creosote-treated wood at home.
See the EPA creosote guidance.
Find a Facility Before Moving the Tie
Take These Notes Before You Call
Use this worksheet to record the ties’ quantity, approximate dimensions, history, condition, and visible hardware before you contact a facility.
It also leaves room for acceptance, fees, handling, and appointment instructions.
Download the railroad tie call worksheet (PDF)
Keep the ties intact until the facility tells you what it accepts and how to prepare the load.
- Call your municipal waste department, transfer station, or landfill.
- Say you have a railroad tie that may contain creosote. Give the number of ties and their approximate size.
- Ask whether the facility accepts household ties, whether you need an appointment, what it costs, and whether the ties must stay whole.
- Ask how to secure and cover the load, then follow the facility’s directions.
Don’t cut a tie just to make it fit in your vehicle or bin.
Cutting creates dust and exposes fresh treated wood.
If the facility requires a specific size, ask which contractors can prepare treated wood safely.
Leave Structural Ties to a Contractor
Removing a tie from a retaining wall, steps, edging, or another load-bearing structure may shift soil or nearby materials.
A tie may be too heavy for you to move safely, and hidden spikes or metal plates can cause injuries.
Hire an experienced contractor if removal affects a structure or requires excavation, cutting, or machinery.
Don’t pull nails, spikes, or plates unless the facility requires it and you can avoid disturbing treated wood.
Tell the facility or contractor about any visible hardware.
Check Restrictions Before Considering Reuse
Don’t assume you can legally reuse a railroad tie for landscaping.
The EPA doesn’t regulate reuse of creosote-treated wood under pesticide laws, but your state may restrict it.
New York prohibits reusing creosote-treated railroad ties in landscaping.
It sends discarded household ties to permitted disposal or combustion facilities.
Ask your state environmental agency before you give a tie away for reuse.
See the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation guidance.
Don’t take ties left beside active or abandoned rail lines.
They may still belong to the railroad, and the rail corridor can be dangerous.
Never Burn Railroad Ties at Home
Don’t use a railroad tie in a wood stove, fireplace, furnace, campfire, fire pit, barrel, or brush pile.
Virginia’s environmental agency sends residents to permitted landfills.
It warns against burning treated wood in open fires, stoves, fireplaces, or residential boilers.
See the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality special-waste guidance.
A permitted industrial facility isn’t the same as a home incinerator or burn pile.
Let your waste authority choose an authorized destination.
Handle Damaged or Contaminated Sites Carefully
Get specific advice for a leaking tie, a large stockpile, or soil with strong stains or odors.
Keep children and pets away, avoid direct contact, and call your local environmental or health agency before disturbing the area.
Don’t wash residue into the soil or a storm drain.
Business and Project Waste
Waste from a railroad, contractor, farm, business, or large demolition project isn’t household waste.
The waste generator may need a formal waste determination and an approved commercial facility.
The EPA specifically distinguishes nonhousehold creosote-treated wood from household waste.
Use a licensed waste contractor or contact your state environmental agency before the project starts.