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

Section 19-161 flatly prohibits depositing solid waste on any public right-of-way or on property owned or leased by the city except in receptacles or waste enclosures provided for that purpose. On private property, § 19-160(A) separately bars accumulating solid waste or non-containerized debris that could attract rodents or pests and create a health hazard, defining 'rodent' as rats, mice, gophers, and squirrels. When code enforcement finds dumped waste on private land, § 19-162 requires the city manager, public works director, or designee to post or mail written notice giving the responsible party three days to remove it or make alternate arrangements, with a right to request city council review before removal.

If the waste is not cleared within three days of notice (or five days if the notice is returned undelivered), § 19-163 authorizes the city to remove and dispose of it itself. Section 19-164 then makes the responsible person personally liable for the city's removal and disposal charge, which can be added to the solid waste bill or collected through other means, and removal does not bar separate criminal prosecution or a civil suit for the amounts due. Repeat violators, defined as three or more notices on different dates, can have their service level increased and billed for it under § 19-162(D) until the city manager finds the higher service level is no longer needed.