Corpus Christi, TX Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- City Code §§ 22-2, 22-14
- First-offense fine
- Up to $1,000/day
- Repeat max fine
- $2,000/violation/day
- Offense class
- Class C misdemeanor
- Enforcement
- Solid Waste Operations Dept.
Summary
Corpus Christi bans depositing any litter or solid waste in public places: streets, rights-of-way, parks, sidewalks, and boat ramps. The code defines 'deposit' to include dump, and violations are Class C misdemeanors carrying escalating fines up to $2,000 per day.
Sec. 22-2. (a) No person may deposit or permit to be deposited any excrement, offal, urine, litter, or other kind of solid waste in any public place in the city, unless properly placed in a conventional refuse receptacle or for collection by solid waste services... (d) "Deposit" within this section means to drop, cast, throw, place, release, blow, spill, or dump. Sec. 22-14. (a) Any person that intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence violates any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor... by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per violation per day.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 44).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 22-2 makes it unlawful to deposit, or permit the deposit of, excrement, litter, or any other solid waste in any public place unless it is properly placed in a conventional refuse receptacle or set out for authorized collection. The section defines 'deposit' as to drop, cast, throw, place, release, blow, spill, or dump. Sec. 22-14 sets the penalties: a first conviction is a Class C misdemeanor fined up to $1,000 per violation per day; a second conviction runs $1,000 to $2,000 per day; a third and any later conviction is $2,000 per day. The Solid Waste Operations Department and any city officer with code or law-enforcement authority may issue citations.
Violations & Fines
First conviction: Class C misdemeanor, fine up to $1,000 per violation per day. Second conviction: $1,000 to $2,000 per day. Third and subsequent: $2,000 per violation per day, each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping trash in a Corpus Christi park illegal?
What is the fine for illegal dumping in Corpus Christi?
Does the city also ban littering on public beaches?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Corpus Christi
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Corpus Christi to another location·View the Texas trash & recycling overview
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