Merced, CA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

070 of the Merced Municipal Code, 'Depositing solid waste on another's premises,' bars any person from permitting solid, green, or organic waste to scatter about their own yard, or from throwing or depositing that waste on the property of another person or on the streets, alleys, or other public places of the city. A companion provision, Sec. 060, separately prohibits throwing, placing, or scattering solid waste on the surface of any premises, or burying or burning it there, closing off self-disposal as a workaround. 12: Sec.

010 makes any code violation a misdemeanor unless specifically designated an infraction, and Sec. A sets the misdemeanor penalty at a fine of not more than $1,000, imprisonment in the Merced County jail for up to one year, or both, with each day a violation continues charged as a separate offense. Beyond criminal penalties, Sec. 080 declares any condition maintained in violation of the code a public nuisance the city can summarily abate, and Sec. B lets a court impose a civil penalty of up to $2,500 per violation per day in a city attorney enforcement action.

The director of public works, chief of police, finance officer, and health officer, or their designees, all have enforcement and right-of-entry authority under Sec. 150.