Oneida, NY Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Core dumping ban
- City Code § 147-2A
- Open-dump ban
- City Code § 147-3C
- Burning/burying
- Needs Common Council + Fire Marshal approval
- County tie-in
- Incorporates Madison County L.L. No. 3 of 1990
- First-offense fine
- $100 to $250 plus restitution
Summary
The City of Oneida, Madison County, New York makes it unlawful to throw, spill or deposit refuse, garbage or ashes in any street, park, waterway or other public place, and separately bars keeping or maintaining an open dump anywhere within City limits. City Code Sections 147-2A and 147-3C carry the ban, backed by Chapter 147's general fine.
A. It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, spill, place or deposit or leave or cause to be thrown, spilled, placed, deposited or left, or to permit any servant, agent or employee to throw, spill, place, deposit or leave in or upon any street, highway, alley, sidewalk, park, public building, in any running water or body of water within the City or other public place in the City any refuse, garbage or ashes subject to be carried by the wind or unwholesome or putrescible matter of any kind. ... ... C. No person shall keep or maintain an open dump within the general limits of the City.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4996966; v33 updated 2026-07-07; through 07-07-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 147-2A sets the core littering and dumping prohibition: it is unlawful to throw, spill, place or deposit or leave or cause to be thrown, spilled, placed, deposited or left, or to permit any servant, agent or employee to do so, in or upon any street, highway, alley, sidewalk, park, public building, running water or body of water within the City, or other public place, any refuse, garbage or ashes subject to be carried by the wind or unwholesome or putrescible matter of any kind.
Subsection B extends the same ban to anyone scattering or spilling waste from a vehicle. Section 147-3C then bars the larger-scale version of the same conduct: no person shall keep or maintain an open dump within the general limits of the City. Subsection D of that same section separately bars burying or burning solid waste anywhere in the City unless the Common Council authorizes it on the advice of the City Fire Marshal and the Madison County Department of Solid Waste and Sanitation signs off.
Because Section 147-3B ties all collection, transport and disposal of garbage, refuse, solid waste and recyclables in the City to Madison County's 1990 Local Law No. 3, illegal dumping in Oneida is enforceable both as a City littering violation and, through that incorporated county law, as a violation of the county's solid waste and recyclables framework.
Violations & Fines
A Section 147-2 or 147-3 dumping violation carries Chapter 147's standard penalty under Section 147-7: not less than $100 nor more than $250 and/or 15 days' imprisonment plus restitution for a first offense, and not less than $250 and/or 15 days' imprisonment plus restitution for each later violation, with each day the dump remains subject to separate enforcement action by the City.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to dump trash on public or private land in Oneida?
Can I burn or bury waste on my property instead of hauling it?
What does dumping cost if I'm cited?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oneida
New York rules heatmap·Compare Oneida to another location·View the New York trash & recycling overview
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