Oyster Bay, NY Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Dumping radius
- 300 feet of a waste oil igloo
- Threshold amount
- More than 1 ounce in container
- Offense class
- Class A misdemeanor
- Maximum fine
- $1,000; minimum $500
- Maximum jail term
- One year
Summary
Dumping more than an ounce of used motor oil within 300 feet of a Town waste oil igloo, or in any amount if you're a nonresident or a business, is a Class A misdemeanor in the Town of Oyster Bay. Section 201-73 caps lawful drop-off at 1.5 gallons every 30 days and sends violators to criminal court, not just an administrative fine.
Disposing, dumping, discarding or depositing of any container or receptacle which contains therein more than one ounce of used motor oil within a three-hundred-foot radius of a Town of Oyster Bay waste oil igloo or other town-designated waste oil recycling tank or container. ... Failure to comply with the provisions of § 201-73, Used motor oil, shall constitute a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 but not less than $500 or by imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4036544; v24 updated 2023-03-07; through 03-07-2023).
Full Breakdown
Town Code § 201-73 regulates how used motor oil can legally be disposed of within Oyster Bay: only by delivery to a service station required under state law to take it, or by depositing it in a waste oil igloo or other Town-designated recycling tank. The section then lists what counts as illegal dumping at those igloos. 5 gallons of used motor oil in any 30-day period, or to dump, discard, or deposit any container holding more than one ounce of used motor oil within a three-hundred-foot radius of a Town of Oyster Bay waste oil igloo or other Town-designated waste oil recycling tank or container.
That 300-foot dumping prohibition is the Town's clearest illegal-dumping rule tied to a specific enforcement radius rather than a general nuisance standard. Unlike most Chapter 201 offenses, which carry civil administrative fines, a § 201-73 violation is treated as a criminal matter: failure to comply constitutes a Class A misdemeanor. That classification puts prosecution in the hands of the criminal courts rather than the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication that handles routine litter and recycling tickets elsewhere in the chapter.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 201-73's used motor oil rules, including the 300-foot dumping radius around a Town waste oil igloo, is a Class A misdemeanor. Conviction carries a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $1,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both, a far heavier penalty than the administrative fines used elsewhere in the recycling article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping used motor oil near a Town recycling tank a big deal in Oyster Bay?
How much used motor oil can a resident legally drop off?
Can a business dispose of used motor oil in Oyster Bay's Town igloos?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oyster Bay
New York rules heatmap·Compare Oyster Bay to another location·View the New York trash & recycling overview
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