Kenosha, WI Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

U sits inside Chapter XI, Offenses Against Good Order and Conduct, and it reaches both private and public property: dumping paper, glass, bottles, cans, containers, grass clippings, rubbish, waste or filth on a neighbor's lot without consent is treated the same as dumping on a City street, alley, sidewalk, park or beach, or into any pond, stream, river or lake, which covers runoff reaching Lake Michigan. The provision does not require proof the material caused a hazard; simply depositing it on someone else's property without consent, or on public ground, completes the offense.

A, a conviction carries a forfeiture of up to $1,000 plus the costs of prosecution, assessments and surcharges. If a violator does not pay, the Municipal Court can commit the person to the Kenosha County Jail for up to ninety days, or suspend the person's driver's license until the forfeiture, assessments, surcharges and costs are paid, with that suspension capped at five years. The section is enforced alongside the City's broader littering and refuse-collection rules, and a citation typically follows a Police Department field observation or a resident complaint.

U is a strict liability littering provision rather than a nuisance-abatement statute, the City does not need to prove intent to injure anyone, only that debris was deposited without consent.