Fresno, CA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Section 10-611 declares unauthorized dumping under Section 6-210 unlawful and a public nuisance, abatable under Sections 10-609 (summary abatement) or 10-616 (administrative abatement), and separately outlaws using land, structure or not, for illegal occupancy or storage of junk, rubbish, or vehicles. The Director may issue a Notice and Order under the Section 10-608 procedure, but can shorten the cure period to just ten days for dumping violations. Citations may issue without any prior notice at all. Penalties escalate steeply: a first illegal-dumping citation costs $1,000 plus the city's abatement costs if it had to clean up; a second costs $1,500 plus twice those costs; a third and every citation after that costs $3,000 plus three times the costs.

Property owners whose land is used for illegal occupancy or storage of junk face a separate, lower schedule after the notice period expires: $250 for a first violation, $1,000 for a second, and $3,000 for a third and beyond, each plus abatement costs. A vehicle used to commit unlawful dumping and found to be a nuisance vehicle may be impounded. Appeals of citations or notice-and-order actions go to Chapter 1, Article 4, but for illegal dumping the appeal window is shortened to ten days from issuance, and the order is not automatically stayed by filing an appeal. Nothing in the section bars separate misdemeanor prosecution or hazardous-waste liability under state or federal law.