Boston, MA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- Boston Code § 23-22
- Minimum fine
- $100 (≤1 cu. yd., unauthorized container)
- Maximum fine
- $3,000 (hazardous waste or 5+ cu. yd. in park)
- Construction debris fine
- $2,500, referred to B.E.S.T.
- Enforcement
- Inspectional Services & Public Works Depts., §23-23
Summary
Boston Code § 23-22 sets a volume-and-location fine schedule for illegal dumping under M.G.L. Chapter 270, Section 16, running from $100 for under a cubic yard in an unauthorized container up to $3,000 plus a Boston Environmental Strike Team referral for hazardous or toxic waste dumped anywhere in the city.
In the city, fines for violation of M.G.L. Chapter 270, Section 16, shall be determined based on volume, location and content subject to the following schedule. (A) Up to and including one cubic yard illegally dumped in an unauthorized container will be fined $100. Up to and including one cubic yard illegally dumped in a vacant lot or on a public way and or public property will be fined $250. Up to and including one cubic yard illegally dumped in a park or playground will be fined $500. Any volume between one and five cubic yards found in a vacant lot or on a public way and/or public property will be fined $1,000. If illegally dumped in a park or playground, any volume between one and five cubic yards will be fined $1,500. Five cubic yards or more found in a vacant lot or on a public way and/or property will be fined $2,500 and five cubic yards or more illegally dumped in a park or a playground will be fined $3,000.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-2: Current through Ordinance 2025 C. 14, passed 11-5-2025).
Full Breakdown
Section 23-22 grades the fine by both amount and where the material lands. Ordinary rubbish dumped in an unauthorized container up to one cubic yard is $100; the same volume in a vacant lot or on a public way is $250, and in a park or playground it rises to $500. Between one and five cubic yards jumps to $1,000 on a vacant lot or public way, or $1,500 in a park or playground, and five cubic yards or more is $2,500 on a vacant lot or public way, or $3,000 in a park or playground.
') under § 23-22(C). L. , with additional fines where authorized. Enforcement authority for the whole Trash and Refuse Disposal chapter rests with the Commissioner of Inspectional Services and the Commissioner of Public Works under § 23-23. Section 23-22 works alongside §§ 23-20 and 23-21, which set smaller flat fines of $10 to $500 for related violations such as overfilled dumpsters and misuse of transfer facilities.
Violations & Fines
Fines scale steeply with volume and location: as low as $100 for a small unauthorized-container violation up to $3,000 for five-plus cubic yards dumped in a park, or for any amount of hazardous or toxic waste, both triggering referral to the Boston Environmental Strike Team for further investigation under § 23-22. The Inspectional Services and Public Works Departments enforce the chapter under § 23-23.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the fine for illegal dumping in Boston?
Is dumping construction debris in Boston a bigger fine than household trash?
Who enforces Boston's illegal dumping ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boston
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Illegal Dumping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle illegal dumping.