Noblesville, IN Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Noblesville Code of Ordinances § 93.02(B) makes it illegal for anyone to throw, place, or deposit litter or any foreign matter in a street, sidewalk, alley, or public place inside the City of Noblesville. Section 93.01 defines LITTER by cross-reference to § 91.01's definitions of litter, garbage, and rubbish, and also covers newspapers, handbills, circulars, and other waste material thrown or deposited in a public way. Illegal dumping is classified as a public nuisance affecting health under § 93.02, alongside unburied animal carcasses and accumulations of decayed matter that attract vermin.

The Designated Department, working with the Planning Department, investigates complaints, photographs the site, and under § 93.07 can mail the property owner a certified notice giving ten days to abate the dumping before the city removes it and bills the owner for administrative and removal costs. An unpaid bill is certified to the Hamilton County Auditor after 30 days and collected on the property tax duplicate under I.C. 36-7-10.1-4. Property owners have ten days to appeal a notice or bill to the Director of the Planning Department, whose written findings can then be reviewed by the Board of Public Works and Safety if the owner files with the Clerk-Treasurer within another ten days.

Where dumping creates great and immediate danger, the Designated Department can direct the police chief or a deputy sheriff to order abatement within 24 hours, or the city can sue in Noblesville City Court for an injunction and recover attorney fees. Section 93.99 sets the fine at up to $500 for each violation, with every day the dumped material remains treated as a new offense.