Spring Cleaning: NYC Parks Increases Fine for Illegal Dumping on Parkland from $1,000 to $5,000

Photo: NYC Parks / Malcolm Pinckney

Thanks to funding commitments, Parks is pursuing installation of surveillance cameras to aid enforcement

NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue joined NYC Department of Sanitation Chief of Enforcement Michael Saladino, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, New York City Council member Oswald Feliz, and Sanitation Foundation Executive Director Julie Raskin to announce the amendment of a city rule to increases the penalties associated with summonses for unlawful dumping on Parks properties. Effective March 31, and in time for the busy spring and summer seasons, an amendment to Section 1-07 of NYC Parks rules increases the penalties for illegal dumping to $5,000 for the first dumping offense.    

To discourage repeat offenders, Parks has also added a penalty of $10,000 for each subsequent offense within 12 months of the first offense. Additionally, thanks to funding commitments from Council member Feliz and Council member Althea Stevens, Parks is pursuing installing more surveillance cameras in parks to aid in dumping enforcement. Borough President Gibson announced that she would also contribute funding for additional cameras in parks. 

While illegal dumping is a concern in parks throughout all five boroughs, the issue has been especially pronounced in the Bronx – in FY 2024, nearly 32,000 bags of illegally dumped trash were removed from Bronx parks. Since 2023, 70 percent of all summonses issued by Parks enforcement for illegal dumping were issued in the Bronx.  

The previous penalty for illegal dumping was $1,000 per offense, which was substantially less than the $4,000 penalty typically assessed by the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY). The rule amendment brings the penalty more in line with the standard violations assessed by DSNY.  

Commissioner Donoghue announced the new rule during a press conference at Echo Park in the Bronx, where local elected officials said they have committed to funding the installation of security cameras in Bronx parks to help capture unlawful dumping activity. Parks is also adding “second shift” park staff by mid-April, which will provide weekend and evening coverage at a total of 200 separate locations in 121 of our busiest parks.