Bill > H1258

This bill authorizes the city of Lawrence to establish a program to combat illegal dumping, making it unlawful for anyone to discard various types of waste, including refuse, rubbish, garbage, construction debris, and furniture, on public or private ways within the city or on city-owned land. Property owners are also required to remove any dumped material from their land within seven days of receiving written notice from authorized city officials, such as police officers or code inspectors. The city can pursue criminal or civil actions in housing, superior, or district courts to enforce these provisions. Violators of the dumping prohibition could face fines of $5,000 to $10,000, jail time of up to seven days, or both, while those found responsible in civil actions for dumping or failing to remove dumped material will be fined three times the cost of removal, up to a maximum of $5,000, and may face additional court orders. All collected fines and penalties will go to the city of Lawrence and will be deposited into a dedicated "Disposal Enforcement Fund" to finance enforcement efforts, removal of dumped materials, and programs for waste collection and lawful disposal.