Lansing, MI Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited
- Depositing trash/refuse in public places
- Exception
- Approved receptacles or City trash bags
- Related duty
- Owners clear ROW trash in 7 days
- Penalty basis
- General misdemeanor, Section 202.99
Summary
Lansing prohibits littering or depositing trash and refuse in any street, alley, park, or public place except in designated receptacles or approved City trash bags: enforced citywide as a misdemeanor.
No person shall litter or deposit trash or refuse in any street, alley, park or other public place, except in receptacles intended therefor or except in or with City approved trash bags or other City approved method for City refuse pick-up.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64).
Full Breakdown
Lansing Codified Ordinances § 676.01 makes it unlawful to litter or deposit trash or refuse in any street, alley, park, or other public place, except in receptacles intended for that purpose or in City-approved trash bags or other approved methods for City refuse pickup. The prohibition covers dumping trash and refuse anywhere in the public right-of-way and in parks, not just discarding small litter. A related section, § 676.025, separately requires property owners to clean up trash that accumulates in the right-of-way adjacent to their property within seven days of a notice of violation. Violations of § 676.01 fall under the Chapter 676 general penalty.
Violations & Fines
Dumping or depositing trash or refuse in a Lansing street, alley, park, or public place outside an approved receptacle or trash bag violates § 676.01, a misdemeanor under the Chapter 676 general penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping trash in a Lansing street or park illegal?
What if trash piles up in the right-of-way next to my property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lansing
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