Kokomo, IN Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 99.32
- Fine range
- $100-$2,500 per offense (§ 99.99(B))
- Enforcing authority
- Howard County Recycling District Compliance Officer
- Citation power
- Kokomo Police Department officers
- Remedy for nonpayment
- Judgment lien on the property
Summary
The City of Kokomo bans dumping litter, junk, garbage, construction debris, and hazardous or infectious waste on public roadways or private property under § 99.32 of the Kokomo Code of Ordinances. The Howard County Recycling District's Compliance Officer investigates and issues abatement notices, and § 99.99(B) fines violators of the illegal-dumping subchapter, §§ 99.30 through 99.40, between $100 and $2,500 for each offense, with every day of a continuing violation counted separately.
§ 99.32 ACTS PROHIBITED. ... No owner, occupant, tenant, or any person having a substantial property interest in any real or personal property within the Howard County Recycling District, shall maintain, create, cause, place, deposit, leave, or permit a nuisance to remain on such property, or upon any public place abutting such real estate or personal property. The following acts shall constitute a violation of this subchapter: (A) No person shall discard or dump litter, abandoned vehicles, junk, recyclables, garbage, construction/demolition waste, hazardous waste, infectious waste, inert solid waste along any public roadway or near any public or private river, lake, stream or ditch or on his or her property or the property of another person. ... § 99.99 PENALTY. ... (B) (1)In addition to any other costs imposed under §§ 99.30 through 99.40, any person who is found to have violated §§ 99.30 through 99.40, ... shall be fined not less than $100, and no more than $2,500 for each offense. Each day a violation shall occur or continue shall be deemed a separate and distinct offense.
Full Breakdown
Section 99.32 lists eleven specific prohibited acts under the "Nuisance Solid Waste Accumulation, Illegal Dumping and Littering" subchapter enforced jointly with the Howard County Recycling District's Board of Directors, per § 99.30. Division (A) bars discarding litter, abandoned vehicles, junk, recyclables, garbage, construction or demolition waste, hazardous waste, infectious waste, or inert solid waste along a public roadway or near any river, lake, stream, or ditch, on either your own property or someone else's. Division (I) separately bars storing or accumulating abandoned vehicles, disassembled cars, scrap metal, dilapidated boats, jet skis, snowmobiles, bicycles, trailers, or mopeds on private property unless properly approved, and division (J) covers appliances, household items, and tires left outside a structure.
Division (H) extends liability to anyone who hires a contractor to do the dumping: the property owner faces the same offense as the hired party. Enforcement runs through the Compliance Officer of the Howard County Recycling District, or another designated enforcement authority, who can enter property to investigate, and who issues written abatement notices under § 99.34 giving the responsible party a compliance deadline. If the notice is ignored, the city or district can abate the nuisance itself and bill the property owner for the cost, filing any unpaid balance as a judgment lien against the real estate under §§ 99.16 and 99.39.
Violations & Fines
Under § 99.99(B), any person who violates §§ 99.30 through 99.40, or who willfully or negligently ignores an abatement order issued under that subchapter, is fined not less than $100 and not more than $2,500 for each offense, with each day a violation continues treated as a separate offense. Citations may be issued by the Compliance Officer or by any sworn Kokomo Police Department officer using a Uniform Traffic Citation, and the city can also sue civilly for the fine plus court costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as illegal dumping under Kokomo's code?
How much can I be fined for illegal dumping in Kokomo?
Who investigates illegal dumping complaints in Kokomo?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kokomo
Compare Kokomo to another location·View the Indiana trash & recycling overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.