Youngstown, OH Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

In the City of Youngstown, Ohio, residents who witness illegal dumping or littering are not limited to filing a complaint and hoping something happens. Youngstown Codified Ordinances § 521.085 lets the Board of Control pay a reward of up to $250.00 to anyone who supplies information leading to a successful conviction under the city's littering and illegal-dumping ordinances. That $250.00 cap applies per occurrence: if several people supply information about the same incident, the total reward for that occurrence still tops out at $250.00 rather than multiplying per tipster.

To move a tip toward a reward, it has to reach one of three named city officials: the Chief of Police, the Health Commissioner, or the Street Department Superintendent. One of those three must personally submit a written recommendation to the Board of Control before a reward is even considered, so information that never reaches an official recommendation does not qualify. The Board of Control then decides whether to pay, weighing the recommendation and how much the information contributed to the conviction. Enforcement of the underlying littering and dumping bans runs through the Police Department and the Health Department under § 521.083, and § 521.085 was passed by Ordinance 95-176 on May 10, 1995, as part of the same Chapter 521 Health, Safety and Sanitation scheme that declares litter and dumped debris a public nuisance at § 521.08.

The ordinance names no online portal or hotline; it routes citizen information through these three officials, who screen it before any payment reaches the Board of Control for a final decision.