Fort Worth, TX Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 16-294
- Maximum fine
- $2,000 per day
- Enforced by
- Health department and police
- Covers
- Solid waste, dead animals, foul water
- Continuing violation
- Each day a separate offense
Summary
Fort Worth Code § 16-294 makes it a criminal offense to deposit or discharge solid waste, dead animals, foul water, or noxious liquid waste onto any public or private property; both the police department and the Department of Public Health enforce it.
(a) No person shall deposit or allow to accumulate on private property, or discharge from any place onto private or public property, or discharge from any place onto private or public property in the city, any dead animal, human or animal waste, foul water, solid waste or any noxious liquid waste. (b) A person commits an offense if the person violates subsection (a) above. (c) The application of this section does not include discharges to the city's municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4), which are regulated by the city's environment code.
Full Breakdown
Section 16-294 bars any person from depositing or letting accumulate on private property, or discharging onto public or private property, any dead animal, human or animal waste, foul water, solid waste, or noxious liquid waste, and declares each such act an offense. Section 16-295 authorizes the police department to enforce it alongside the Department of Public Health. Because § 16-294 sets no specific penalty, § 1-6 governs: it caps the fine for a public-health-and-sanitation violation, expressly "including the dumping of refuse," at $2,000, and makes each day a separate offense. Discharges to the storm sewer (MS4) fall under the environment code instead.
Violations & Fines
Depositing filth or solid waste on public or private property is a criminal offense in municipal court. With no specific penalty set, § 1-6 caps the fine at $2,000, and each day of violation is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Worth
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Illegal Dumping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Tarrant County handle illegal dumping.