Colorado Springs, CO Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 9.6.202
- Covers
- Public and private property, plus City waterways
- Vehicle dumping minimum fine
- $100 per offense (§ 9.6.205.B.1)
- General maximum penalty
- Up to $2,500 fine, 189 days jail (§ 1.1.201)
- Adopted
- Ord. 4004; recodified Ord. 01-42
Summary
City Code § 9.6.202 makes it unlawful to litter, dump, drop, throw or deposit trash, waste, debris or 'any foreign substance', on any public or private property or waterway in the City, unless it's an authorized disposal site or a provided receptacle.
It is unlawful for any person to litter on any public or private property in this City or any waters in this City unless: A. The property is an area designated by the State or any of its agencies or political subdivisions, including the City, for the disposal of the material and the person is authorized by the proper public authority to so use the property; or B. The litter is placed in a receptacle or container used on the property for the purpose. ... LITTER: Any and all rubbish, waste material, refuse, garbage, trash, debris or other foreign substance, solid or liquid of every form, size, kind and description. LITTERING: Dumping, dropping, throwing or depositing any litter or otherwise causing or permitting any litter to escape from a vehicle or otherwise. ... Whenever litter is thrown, deposited, dropped or dumped from any motor vehicle...Violation of this subsection shall result in a minimum fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 26-23, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
' The ban covers public and private property alike, plus 'any waters in this City,' with only two exceptions: material dumped at a site the State or City has designated for disposal by an authorized party, or litter placed in a receptacle provided at the property for that purpose. 205, targets vehicle-based dumping specifically: when litter is thrown, dropped or dumped from a vehicle, the operator is presumed responsible, and if the vehicle is one designed or used to transport material, a City-licensed trash hauler's truck is treated as prima facie such a vehicle, that presumption carries a mandatory minimum fine of $100 per offense, rebuttable only with evidence the trip was personal rather than business-related. 206 separately requires business and property owners to keep adjacent sidewalks, parking areas and driveways free of litter that has accumulated there.
Violations & Fines
A standard littering or dumping violation under § 9.6.202 is punished through the City's general penalty, § 1.1.201: up to a $2,500 fine, up to 189 days in jail, probation, or a combination. Dumping from a vehicle used to transport material, including licensed trash-hauler trucks, carries its own mandatory minimum fine of $100 per offense under § 9.6.205.B.1, on top of whatever the Municipal Court imposes for the underlying littering charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping trash on someone else's property illegal in Colorado Springs?
What's the penalty for dumping from a truck or trailer?
Do property owners have to provide trash receptacles for the public?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Colorado Springs
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