Maple Grove, MN Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Maple Grove addresses illegal dumping primarily through its nuisance code and the Minnesota statutes it incorporates. City Code Sec. 14-31 declares that, in addition to nuisances under Minn. Stat. 609.74, the conditions listed in the nuisance division are nuisances punishable as misdemeanors. Sec. 14-32 specifically lists outdoor accumulations of garbage (except in authorized containers), rubbish, yard cleanings, metal cans, ashes, litter and other unwholesome or offensive substances on premises as nuisances, along with materials that harbor vermin or create fire, health or safety hazards. The city may abate these conditions and assess the cost as a special assessment under Sec. 14-34. For the dumping and littering offenses themselves, Minnesota law applies citywide. Minn. Stat. 609.68 provides that whoever unlawfully deposits garbage, rubbish, cigarette filters, fireworks debris, offal, a dead animal or other litter on public highways, waters, public lands, or private property without the owner's consent is guilty of a petty misdemeanor. Minn. Stat. 609.671 imposes much steeper penalties: knowingly disposing of solid waste without a required permit for consideration can bring up to 364 days in jail or a $15,000 fine, and knowingly disposing of or abandoning hazardous waste at an unauthorized location is a felony punishable by up to five years and a $50,000 fine.