Lower Merion, PA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Fine per violation
- Up to $1,000 (§ 82-14)
- Repeat violations
- Each day counted as a separate offense
- Legal status
- Declared a public nuisance (§ 82-8.B)
- Additional remedy
- Injunction in equity under § 82-16
- Enforcing body
- Public Works Dept. / Board of Commissioners
Summary
In Lower Merion Township, transporting or disposing of municipal waste outside the Township's own collection system is unlawful and declared a public nuisance under Code § 82-8. Violators face a fine of up to $1,000 for each offense under § 82-14, with every day of continued dumping counted separately, plus injunctive relief under § 82-16.
(2) Transport, process, treat, transfer or dispose of, or cause to be processed, treated, transferred or disposed of, municipal waste generated within the Township except as provided for in this chapter. ... ... B. Any unlawful conduct set forth above shall constitute a public nuisance. ... Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to a fine or penalty of not more than $1,000 for each and every violation, to be collected as like fines or penalties are now by law collectible. Each day that there is a violation of this chapter shall constitute a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 82 makes it unlawful for anyone to violate any provision of the Township's municipal waste chapter, or to transport, process, treat, transfer or dispose of municipal waste generated within Lower Merion except through the Township's own collection and disposal system (§ 82-8.A(1)-(2)). The chapter also bars hindering or obstructing Township personnel enforcing the waste code (§ 82-8.A(4)) and acting contrary to Pennsylvania's Solid Waste Management Act (Act 97) or the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (Act 101) (§ 82-8.A(5)). Any of this conduct is declared a public nuisance under § 82-8.B, giving the Township standing to abate it in addition to prosecuting it as an offense.
Enforcement runs through the Department of Public Works and the Board of Commissioners, who oversee the Township's waste collection contracts and regulations referenced throughout Chapter 82. Under § 82-14, a violation carries a fine or penalty of not more than $1,000, and the chapter treats each day a violation continues as a separate offense, so unresolved dumping can compound quickly. Beyond fines, § 82-16 lets the Township go to court in equity for an injunction restraining the unlawful conduct or nuisance, and it can pursue the injunction alongside the § 82-14 penalty rather than instead of it, since § 82-16.B makes the chapter's remedies concurrent rather than exclusive.
That combination, a per-day fine plus the option of a court order to stop the conduct outright, is the Township's primary tool against dumping that bypasses its licensed collection and disposal system.
Violations & Fines
A first violation can draw a fine up to $1,000, and Chapter 82 counts every day the unlawful dumping, transporting or disposal continues as a separate offense, so penalties add up daily until it stops. The Township can also sue in equity for an injunction under § 82-16 to force an immediate halt, pursued together with, not instead of, the fine. Hindering Public Works personnel enforcing the chapter is a separate violation under § 82-8.A(4).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Lower Merion's Chapter 82 prohibit?
How much can the Township fine someone for illegal dumping?
Can Lower Merion Township go to court over illegal dumping?
Does interfering with a Township waste inspector count as a violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lower Merion
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