Lodi, CA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited conduct
- Dumping refuse anywhere but designated sites
- Also banned
- Burning or burying refuse in city
- Cleanup order
- Health officer bills owner for removal
- Misdemeanor fine
- Up to $1,000, 6 months jail
- Infraction fine
- Up to $100 first offense
- Recycling theft
- Infraction under § 13.16.140
Summary
It's unlawful in Lodi to throw or deposit refuse, dirt, glass or rubbish on any street, gutter, ditch or private property, or to burn or bury refuse anywhere in the city. Health officials can order accumulated filth removed at the owner's expense, and violators face Lodi's general misdemeanor or infraction penalty of up to $1,000 and six months in jail.
Any person violating any of the provisions or failing to comply with any of the mandatory requirements of this code or the ordinances of the city is guilty of a misdemeanor, unless the violation is made an infraction by ordinance, or at the discretion of the prosecuting attorney. ... It is unlawful for any person to burn or bury within the city any refuse, or to place or deposit upon any street, alley, place or vacant lot, any of the materials included in the definition of the word "refuse" in Section 13.16.010. ... It is unlawful for any person to throw into or deposit upon any public street, highway or grounds, or in any gutter or ditch, or upon any private premises, or anywhere except in such places as may be designated for such purposes by the city, any glass, broken ware, dirt, rubbish, refuse or filth; nor shall any rubbish, refuse or filth be allowed to remain upon any private premises.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 68).
Full Breakdown
130(A) makes it unlawful for any person to throw into or deposit upon any public street, highway, ground, gutter, ditch, or private premises, or anywhere except a city-designated disposal site, any glass, broken ware, dirt, rubbish, refuse or filth, and separately bars letting rubbish, refuse or filth remain on private property. 010 on any street, alley, place or vacant lot. 130(B) lets the city order it carried away and disposed of at the property owner's or occupant's expense, hauled beyond city limits or to another site the health officer designates.
010: a violation is a misdemeanor unless an ordinance or the prosecuting attorney's discretion makes it an infraction. 140 makes it an infraction, punishable regardless of intent, for anyone other than the city's designated hauler to take recyclables from a labeled recycling container or bag.
Violations & Fines
A misdemeanor conviction under Lodi's general penalty section, § 1.08.010(B), carries a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both; an infraction under § 1.08.010(C) starts at a fine up to $100 for a first offense, up to $200 for a second violation of the same section within a year, and up to $500 for each further violation. Each day a dumping violation continues counts as a separate offense (§ 1.08.010(D)), and code enforcement or police officers can cite violators directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to dump trash in a Lodi alley or vacant lot?
What can the city do if trash piles up on my property in Lodi?
What's the penalty for illegal dumping in Lodi?
Can someone take recyclables out of my recycling cart in Lodi?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lodi
California rules heatmap·Compare Lodi to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Illegal Dumping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Joaquin County handle illegal dumping.