Royal Oak, MI Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted
- Nov. 6, 1961, Ord. No. 61-22
- Governing section
- City Code § 484-11
- Applies to
- Any open or vacant private property
- Liable party
- Owner or any other person who dumps
- Penalty
- Civil infraction, up to $500 fine
- Repeat offenses
- Each day of violation is a separate offense
Summary
Royal Oak's Public Nuisance Ordinance bans dumping litter on any open or vacant private lot in the city, whether or not the dumper owns the property. City Code § 484-11 applies citywide, and § 484-21 makes every violation a municipal civil infraction carrying a fine of up to $500 plus enforcement and court costs.
§ 484-11. Litter on vacant lots. No person shall throw or deposit litter on any open or vacant private property within the City whether owned by such person or not. ... § 484-21. Violations and penalties. ... A. A violation of this chapter is a municipal civil infraction, punishable by a fine of up to $500, plus the costs of enforcement and court costs. In addition, the Court shall be authorized to issue any judgment, writ or order necessary to enforce or enjoin further violation of this chapter. B. Each act of violation, and each day upon which any violation shall occur, shall constitute a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
Section 484-11 sits inside Chapter 484, the Public Nuisance Ordinance the City Commission adopted November 6, 1961 by Ordinance No. 61-22. It is deliberately broader than the adjoining sections governing occupied property: §484-9 addresses litter on occupied private property and §484-10 requires owners to keep occupied premises free of litter, while §484-11 reaches "open or vacant" land specifically, closing the gap that would otherwise let an empty lot become a dumping ground with no responsible occupant to cite. The prohibition applies "whether owned by such person or not," so a passerby who dumps trash on someone else's vacant parcel is liable exactly as the owner would be.
The chapter's general references cross-link related enforcement tools, including Chapter 400 Housing standards, Chapter 556 Property Maintenance, Chapter 587 Rodent Control, and Chapter 757 Weeds, meaning Code Enforcement can pair a §484-11 litter citation with a companion weeds or property-maintenance violation on the same vacant parcel. Enforcement runs through §484-21, amended in 1994 and again in 2017, which converted nuisance violations citywide into municipal civil infractions rather than criminal misdemeanors, moving cases into civil infraction court rather than leaving a first litter offense as a criminal record.
The court can also issue any judgment, writ, or order needed to enforce or enjoin further violations, giving Code Enforcement a path to an injunction against a repeat offender's vacant lot, not just a fine.
Violations & Fines
Each violation of §484-11 is a municipal civil infraction under §484-21, carrying a fine of up to $500 plus the costs of enforcement and court costs. Because the ordinance treats each act of dumping and each day the litter remains as a separate offense, repeated or ongoing litter on the same vacant lot can generate multiple citations rather than a single fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited for litter on a vacant lot I don't own?
Is a vacant lot litter violation a crime?
Can the City fine me more than once for the same pile of trash?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Royal Oak
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