Glendale, CA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- GMC Chapter 8.32, Litter
- Core prohibition
- No dumping on street, alley, sidewalk, or lot
- Penalty (core offense)
- Up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
- Owner notice period
- 10 days to remove litter
- Unpaid cleanup cost
- Becomes property lien plus 10% penalty
Summary
Glendale bans dumping litter and refuse on any street, alley, sidewalk or private lot, whether occupied or vacant. Violators face a straight misdemeanor: up to $1,000 and six months in jail, with each day of continued dumping counted as a separate offense.
No person shall throw, sweep or deposit litter from any building or lot in or upon any gutter, street, alley, parkway, sidewalk or other public place within the city, except in public receptacles or in authorized private receptacles for collection. ... No person shall throw or deposit litter on any vacant private property, improved or unimproved, within the city whether owned by such person or not.
Full Breakdown
32 (Litter) makes it unlawful to throw, sweep or deposit litter, defined to include garbage, rubbish and junk, in any gutter, street, alley, parkway or sidewalk except into public or authorized private receptacles (Sec. 020). The same prohibition extends to occupied private property under Sec. 040 and to vacant lots, improved or unimproved, under Sec. 060: no one may throw or deposit litter there even if they own the parcel. Property owners also carry an affirmative duty under Sec. 030 and Sec. 050 to keep the adjoining sidewalk, parkway, gutter and alley, and their own premises, free of litter.
When dumped material accumulates on a vacant lot, the director of public works can mail the owner a formal ten-day Notice to Remove Litter under Sec. 070; if the owner does not act, the city disposes of it and bills the cost as a lien on the property, with a 10% delinquency penalty and 7% annual interest recorded under Sec. 080 and Sec. 090. Because Sec. 060 are not among the sections listed in Glendale Municipal Code Sec. 010(D) as reduced infractions, an illegal-dumping violation defaults to a full misdemeanor under Sec.
010(A): a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both. By contrast, the adjoining-property maintenance duties in Sec. 030 and Sec. 050 are charged as infractions ($100 first offense, $200 second, $500 third within a year) unless a person racks up three violations in one year, at which point they too become misdemeanors.
Violations & Fines
Dumping litter on a street, sidewalk, alley or vacant/occupied private lot (Secs. 8.32.020, 8.32.040, 8.32.060) is a misdemeanor under Sec. 1.20.010(A): up to $1,000 and/or six months in jail, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. Failing to keep abutting sidewalks and gutters clear (Secs. 8.32.030, 8.32.050) is an infraction ($100/$200/$500 escalating fines) that becomes a misdemeanor after three convictions in a year. Unremediated litter on a vacant lot after a ten-day city notice becomes a recorded property lien plus a 10% delinquency penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping trash on a vacant lot in Glendale illegal even if I own it?
What happens if I ignore the city's notice to remove dumped litter?
What is the penalty for illegal dumping in Glendale?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glendale
California rules heatmap·Compare Glendale to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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How other cities in Los Angeles County handle illegal dumping.