Baytown, TX Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 42-62(d)
- Max fine
- $4,000.00 per offense (refuse dumping tier)
- Applies to
- Public and private premises citywide
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate offense
- Notice procedure
- Actual + mailed notice under Sec. 42-64
Summary
Baytown makes it unlawful to sweep, throw, deposit or dump garbage, waste, construction debris or dead animals onto any public or private premises in the city, with dumping violations carrying the code's highest general penalty tier: up to $4,000.00 per offense.
It shall be unlawful for any person to sweep, throw, deposit, or dump any garbage, waste, bulky waste, construction debris, rubbish, stagnant water, or dead animals into, upon or along any public or private premises within the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 83 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 42-62(d) of the Baytown Code of Ordinances, in the maintenance-of-premises provisions of the public health nuisances division, states plainly that it is unlawful for any person to sweep, throw, deposit, or dump any garbage, waste, bulky waste, construction debris, rubbish, stagnant water, or dead animals into, upon or along any public or private premises within the city. This sits alongside the broader maintenance duties in the same section: owners and occupants may not let stagnant water, filth, carrion, weeds, rubbish, brush or unsanitary matter accumulate or blow onto neighboring property (subsection (a)), and open storage of items like iceboxes, appliances, glass or building rubbish visible from the right-of-way is likewise prohibited (subsection (c)).
00 per offense. Each day a dumped condition remains uncorrected is chargeable as a separate offense under section 1-14. Enforcement follows the notice procedure in section 42-64, requiring actual notice to the responsible party plus mailed notice to the address on file with the county appraisal district before further city action, unless the dumping itself rises to a public nuisance requiring prompt abatement.
Violations & Fines
Illegal dumping under section 42-62(d) is punishable under the general penalty in section 1-14, which sets a maximum fine of $4,000.00 specifically for violations governing the dumping of refuse, the highest tier in the city's penalty schedule; each day the dumped material remains is a separate offense. The city may also treat a dumping violation as a public nuisance under section 42-61 and pursue abatement, recovering its costs from the responsible property owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping trash on someone else's lot illegal in Baytown?
What's the maximum fine for illegal dumping in Baytown?
Can each day of dumped debris be a separate charge?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Baytown
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Baytown to another location·View the Texas trash & recycling overview
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Illegal Dumping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Harris County handle illegal dumping.