New Bedford, MA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

New Bedford's litter-control ordinance, Chapter 12, Article II, treats illegal dumping as a citywide prohibition rather than a single narrow rule. Section 12-21 forbids throwing or depositing litter on any street, sidewalk, or public place except in an authorized receptacle or official city dump. Section 12-37 extends the same ban to occupied private property, and section 12-39 covers open or vacant lots, so dumping debris on an empty parcel is treated the same as dumping in the street. Section 12-47 sets the penalty for violating any provision of the litter article: a misdemeanor punishable by a $250 fine per offense, with every day a violation continues counted as a new offense.

c. 40U, § 21D, with those cases handled under the procedures in section 17-28. Beyond fines, section 12-40 lets the health department bring a civil action to recover the cost of removing dumped litter, or offer a settlement in lieu of suit, and section 12-41 authorizes the health department to notify a property owner by registered mail to clear illegally dumped material; if the owner does not comply within three days, the city can clean the site itself and add the cost, plus 14 percent annual interest, to the property's next tax bill as a municipal lien recorded with the Bristol County registry of deeds.