Amarillo, TX Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Amarillo Code Sec. 8-3-3 makes it unlawful to deposit, place, throw, or dispose of garbage or trash on a street, alley, or public right-of-way, on private property within the City or within 5,000 feet of the city limits, inside a City disposal site except as the Superintendent directs, in a City-owned refuse container by someone who does not pay the collection charge, or in a City-owned waste container serving a different city block. Sec. 8-3-6 makes unauthorized dumping a civil health nuisance when the violator's identity cannot be determined: the registered owner of the vehicle used is presumed responsible, and the City or its contractor can issue a notice of civil violation based on photographic or video evidence within 30 days of the incident.

Under Sec. 1-1-5(e)(1)(d) and (e)(3)(a), illegal dumping under Sections 8-3-3 and 8-3-79 carries an escalating civil penalty: $50 for a first violation, $150 for a second, and $250 for the third and every violation after that, with a hearing officer or municipal judge capped at a maximum civil penalty of $350 per offense. A recipient has 30 days to pay or request an administrative hearing before Chapter 2-8, Article VI's Office of Civil Administrative Hearings; failing to act within that window adds a $50 late penalty, then a further $100 if the enhanced amount also goes unpaid.

Where the violator is identified rather than proceeded against civilly, Sec. 8-3-8(b) allows a straight criminal charge instead, which under the general penalty in Sec. 1-1-5(b) can reach a $2,000 fine for a dumping-of-refuse offense, separate from any civil cost recovery the City assesses under Sec. 8-3-9 for cleanup.