New Orleans, LA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

5 provides that "all motor vehicles which are used, or intended to be used, to transport, or in any manner to facilitate a violation of 66-282(b) through (c)", the code's dumping and littering-of-specific-materials provisions, "shall be impounded and subject to forfeiture," with narrow exceptions for common carriers, innocent owners, and secured-party lienholders, and no forfeiture where the dumped waste weighs less than five pounds. A second forfeiture applies automatically to any vehicle used in a repeat offense, even if it's a different vehicle than the first.

The police department must issue a notice of violation within three days, and the owner or operator has three business days to request an administrative hearing before the director of the Department of Safety and Permits to prove an exemption applies; appeals from an adverse finding go to Orleans Parish Civil District Court. Convicted adults must publish their name, address, employer and photo in the city's and their home parish's official journal within 21 days of a guilty plea or finding. 00 fine per violation, reducible to up to 100 hours of community service (litter pickup, weed and grass removal in public parks and rights-of-way) if the violator proves inability to pay, supervised by the Department of Sanitation.