Loveland, CO Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Loveland Municipal Code § 12.36.030
- Penalty section
- § 12.36.040
- Penalty basis
- General penalty, § 1.12.010
- Court surcharge
- $15 per violation
- Also banned in same chapter
- Swimming or floating in ditches
Summary
Dumping trash, refuse, or any object whatsoever into a ditch or canal within Loveland city limits is flatly unlawful under Municipal Code § 12.36.030. The rule sits in the Ditches and Canals chapter alongside a ban on swimming or floating in them, and both violations carry the same misdemeanor penalty under § 12.36.040.
It is unlawful for any person to dump, discard, throw or in any manner place trash, refuse or any objects whatsoever into a ditch or canal within the city limits.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13).
Full Breakdown
36, 'Ditches and Canals,' regulates the irrigation ditches, races, drains, and flumes that cross Loveland, a legacy of the city's agricultural water infrastructure. 030 makes it unlawful for any person to dump, discard, throw, or in any manner place trash, refuse, or any objects whatsoever into a ditch or canal within the city limits, with no exception carved out for size or type of material. 010. 010, Loveland's general penalty section, rather than under a chapter-specific fine schedule. § 13-10-113, or up to 364 days in jail, or both, plus a $15 court surcharge on top of the fine, with each day a violation continues treated as a separate offense under the general penalty rule.
The dumping ban applies citywide within Loveland's Larimer County limits and covers any ditch or canal inside city boundaries, regardless of who owns or maintains it; it doesn't reach ditches on private irrigated land that never cross public property, though other Code provisions on nuisances and property maintenance can still apply there.
Violations & Fines
A conviction for dumping trash into a ditch or canal is punished under § 12.36.040 as provided in the Code's general penalty, § 1.12.010: a fine consistent with C.R.S. § 13-10-113 or up to 364 days in jail, or both, plus a $15 surcharge, with each day of an ongoing violation treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to dump trash in a drainage ditch in Loveland?
What's the penalty for dumping in a canal?
Does the ditch ban cover private irrigation ditches?
Are there other rules for ditches and canals in Loveland?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Loveland
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Illegal Dumping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Larimer County handle illegal dumping.