Parker, TX Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- § 53.01
- Penalty
- Up to $200 per offense (§ 53.99(B))
- Adopted
- Ordinance 102, March 24, 1970
- Covers
- Drains, gutters, streets, vacant lots, private property
- Enforced by
- Police / Municipal Court
Summary
Parker's Code of Ordinances makes it unlawful under § 53.01 to sweep, throw, or deposit garbage, trash, dirt, concrete, dead animals, glass, or other rubbish into any drain, gutter, street, vacant lot, or public or private property within city limits. Violators face a Municipal Court fine of up to $200 per offense under § 53.99(B), an ordinance dating to 1970.
It shall be unlawful for any person to sweep, throw, or deposit in any manner garbage, trash, dirt, concrete, rocks, stagnant water, dead animal, glass, cans, paper, bottles, nails, or any other rubbish into or along any drain, gutter, street, vacant lot or acreage, or upon any public or private premises within the corporate limits of the city; and the presence of same upon any street or public place shall be held to constitute a violation of this section. ... Violators of § 53.01 of this code will be subject to a fine of up to but not to exceed $200.
Full Breakdown
01 of the Parker Code of Ordinances, adopted by Ordinance 102 on March 24, 1970, makes it unlawful for any person to sweep, throw, or deposit in any manner garbage, trash, dirt, concrete, rocks, stagnant water, a dead animal, glass, cans, paper, bottles, nails, or any other rubbish into or along a drain, gutter, street, vacant lot or acreage, or upon any public or private premises within the corporate limits of the city. The ordinance is written broadly enough to reach drainage ditches and vacant acreage as well as paved streets, and the code specifies that the mere presence of prohibited material on a street or public place is itself treated as a violation, so the city does not have to prove who dumped it to cite the property.
99(B), which sets the penalty at a fine of up to but not exceeding $200 for each offense. Because the illegal-dumping statute sits in Chapter 53 alongside the city's solid waste and recycling rules, code enforcement staff often pair a dumping citation with a directive to use the city's contracted collection service instead of dumping refuse on vacant lots or roadside ditches. Residents who see debris in a public drain or street should report it to the city rather than removing it themselves if it may be evidence tied to an ongoing violation.
Violations & Fines
A citation under § 53.01 is a fine of up to $200 assessed in Parker Municipal Court under § 53.99(B); the code does not build in escalating fines for repeat offenders the way it does for other Chapter 53 violations, but each act of depositing trash can be charged separately. Police and code enforcement staff can cite based on the presence of dumped material alone, without identifying who placed it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dumping trash on a vacant lot illegal in Parker, Texas?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Parker
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Parker to another location·View the Texas trash & recycling overview
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Illegal Dumping in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Collin County handle illegal dumping.