Town Code Chapter 112, Article IA explicitly prohibits the use of land as a private dump, dumping ground, refuse disposal area, or landfill site, and prohibits depositing, burying, or disposing of offal, garbage, trash, refuse, rubbish, debris, and like waste on private land. The state backstop is NY ECL §27-0707 (DEC solid-waste facility permit requirement) with civil penalties under NY ECL §71-2723 up to $7,500 per violation per day. NY Penal Law §145.40 (Criminal Tampering 3rd) and §240.45 (litter offenses) provide criminal layers.
Colonie's illegal-dumping framework is unusually clear because the Town operates its own landfill and has a strong interest in keeping waste routed through the regulated system. Town Code Chapter 112, Article IA (Solid Waste Disposal Site and Facilities) provides the explicit local prohibition: the use of land within the Town as a private dump, dumping ground, refuse disposal area, or landfill site is prohibited, and the use of said land for the deposit, burying, or disposal of offal, garbage, trash, refuse, rubbish, debris, and like waste is also prohibited. This is a strict-liability ban on any unpermitted dumping - more direct than many NY town codes. State authority sits on top: NY Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) Article 27 (Solid Waste Management) and §27-0707 require any solid-waste management facility to have a DEC permit; operating an unpermitted facility is a violation. NY ECL §71-2723 sets civil penalties up to $7,500 per violation per day enforced by NYSDEC for §27 solid-waste violations. NY Penal Law provides criminal layers: §145.40 (Criminal Tampering in the Third Degree, Class B misdemeanor for tampering with the property of another causing damage); §240.45 (Criminal Nuisance - dumping that endangers health/safety); and §145.05 (Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree). Smaller-scale littering on public property may be cited under local sanitation provisions and NY ECL §71-1929 (general violation penalty up to $1,500). Reporting: for active dumping in progress, especially commercial vehicles, call the Colonie Police Department non-emergency (518-783-2754) and try to capture license plate, vehicle description, and direction. For already-dumped material on public or private property, call Town of Colonie Code Enforcement / Building Department (518-783-2706) or Environmental Services. Inspection Services may refer larger violations to NYSDEC Region 4 (518-357-2068) for §71-2723 enforcement. State Police Environmental Conservation Investigation Unit also investigates significant cases.
Town Code Chapter 112 Art IA violation: operating a private dump or depositing/burying/disposing of garbage, trash, refuse, rubbish, or debris on land within the Town. Local enforcement through the Town Clerk and Building Department (518-783-2706); civil penalties under Chapter 62 Art IV schedule ($500/$750/$1,000) if also a blighting condition. State NY ECL §27-0707 / §71-2723: operating an unpermitted solid-waste management facility carries civil penalties up to $7,500 per violation per day, enforced by NYSDEC. Larger-scale dumping may trigger criminal charges: NY Penal Law §145.40 (Criminal Tampering 3rd, Class B misdemeanor); §145.05 (Criminal Mischief 4th, Class A misdemeanor); §240.45 (Criminal Nuisance, Class B misdemeanor). NY ECL §71-1929 provides a general-violation civil penalty up to $1,500 for smaller offenses. Self-haulers without a green resident sticker may have material refused at the landfill, which can incentivize illegal dumping - hauling to an unpermitted location is a §27 violation regardless.
Colonie, NY
Abandoned vehicles in the Town of Colonie are handled under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §1224 (Abandoned Vehicles), which makes the town in which a vehi...
Colonie, NY
Pool barriers in Colonie are governed by the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) as adopted by reference in the NY State Uniform Code at 19 NYCR...
Colonie, NY
The Town of Colonie Zoning Law does not prescribe a closed list of permitted fence materials, but barbed wire, electrified fencing, and razor wire are genera...
Colonie, NY
Boundary and 'spite fence' disputes in Colonie are governed by New York State common law and statute, not the town zoning code. Real Property Actions and Pro...
Colonie, NY
The Town of Colonie requires a fence/zoning permit from the Department of Building & Code Enforcement before installing a fence, with a plot plan showing fen...
Colonie, NY
The Town of Colonie does not impose a numeric limit on the number of dogs, cats, or other companion animals per household. Chapter 79 Article III caps chicke...
See how Colonie's illegal dumping rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.