NYC Sanitation Violation Codes: Fines, Summonses, and Payment

NYC sanitation violation fines run from $25 for a minor composting mistake to $18,000 for repeat illegal dumping, with most everyday tickets landing between $100 and $300. The single most common summons — a dirty sidewalk — is $100 for a first offense, $250 for a repeat within a year, and $300 if you ignore it entirely. Ignoring any sanitation summons is the most expensive thing you can do: default penalties are higher than contested ones, and unpaid fines become liens against your property.

Dirty Sidewalks and Littering

Under Administrative Code section 16-118, property owners are responsible for keeping the sidewalk in front of their building clean, and that responsibility extends 18 inches from the curb into the street. The gutter is yours too, which surprises a lot of owners.¹

A first dirty-sidewalk violation is $100. A second within 12 months is $250. If you never respond to the summons, the default penalty is $300 — the maximum the city can impose without you even showing up to contest it.² Commercial properties face the same fines but are expected to maintain both the sidewalk and gutter at the start and end of each business day.¹

One timing detail is worth knowing: for residential dirty-sidewalk and gutter tickets, DSNY agents are authorized to write summonses only during two one-hour windows, 8:00–8:59 AM and 6:00–6:59 PM.³ A residential summons stamped outside those hours can be challenged at a hearing.

Littering is priced separately under the same code section: $100 first offense, $250 second within 12 months, $350 third. The default for ignoring a littering summons is $450.²

Set-Out Times and Bin Fines

Putting trash out at the wrong time, or in the wrong container, is one of the easier violations to pick up. The rules changed in November 2024 and tighten further in June 2026.

Residential buildings with 1–9 units must use a bin of 55 gallons or less with a secure lid, set out after 6 PM. Buildings with 10 or more units can use lidded bins after 6 PM or place bags at the curb after 8 PM. Everything must be curbside by midnight the night before your collection day.⁴

Any lidded bin that meets the size limit works through June 2026. After that deadline, buildings with 1–9 units must switch to the official NYC Bin, a rat-resistant container built for mechanized collection.⁵ Larger buildings have their own timeline: properties with 31 or more units will eventually be required to use stationary on-street containers, and buildings with 10–30 units can choose between those containers and individual bins.⁶

Fines for failing to use a proper container are lower than most sanitation tickets but escalate quickly: $50 first offense, $100 second, $200 third and beyond.⁷

Composting Fines

Curbside composting became mandatory in all five boroughs in late 2024, and the grace period ended April 1, 2025. Food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste have to be separated from regular trash and set out for collection on your recycling day.⁸

Compost goes in a labeled bin of 55 gallons or less with a secure lid, or in your DSNY brown bin. Bin liners can be clear plastic, paper, or compostable, but not black plastic. Bins go out after 6 PM; loose bags of leaf and yard waste after 8 PM.⁸

Fines for mixing compost with regular trash depend on building size:

Buildings with 1–8 units: $25 first, $50 second, $100 third and beyond.
Buildings with 9 or more units: $100 first, $200 second, $300 third and beyond.

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Owners of buildings with four or more units also have to provide a designated storage area with clearly labeled compost bins for tenants. The summons goes to the property owner even when tenants are the ones sorting incorrectly.

Recycling Fines

Metal, glass, plastic, paper, and cardboard have to be separated from regular trash and set out properly under Administrative Code section 16-120. Failing to separate recyclables, or exceeding weight limits, carries a $100 fine for the first and second offenses and $200 for a third within 12 months. The default for not responding is $300.² Recycling follows the same set-out clock as regular trash: bins after 6 PM, bags after 8 PM.⁴

Snow and Ice Removal

Property owners have to clear snow and ice from their sidewalks after a storm, and the deadline depends on when the snow stops falling:

Snow stops between 7:00 AM and 4:59 PM: clear within 4 hours.
Snow stops between 5:00 PM and 8:59 PM: clear within 14 hours.
Snow stops between 9:00 PM and 6:59 AM: clear by 11:00 AM.

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You need a cleared path at least four feet wide, or the sidewalk salted and sanded. Missing the deadline can cost up to $250.⁹

Illegal Dumping

Illegal dumping is the most aggressively penalized sanitation offense, and it runs on two tracks that can both apply to the same incident. Under Administrative Code section 16-119, dumping waste on any street, lot, park, or other location is a misdemeanor carrying a criminal fine between $1,500 and $10,000 and up to 90 days in jail.¹⁰

On top of that, the city pursues civil penalties: $4,000 for a first offense, $9,000 for a second within 18 months, and $18,000 for each additional offense in that same window. Vehicle owners are separately liable for those civil fines if their vehicle was used, even if someone else was driving.¹¹

A vehicle used to dump can be impounded and won’t be released until removal charges, storage fees, and fines are paid or a bond is posted. If the owner has been found liable three or more times within 18 months, or the material is hazardous, the city can seek permanent forfeiture through a court proceeding and sell the vehicle at public auction.¹⁰

What Happens If You Ignore a Summons

Default penalties for ignored summonses are almost always higher than the base fine. A $100 dirty-sidewalk ticket becomes $300 by default. A $100 littering ticket becomes $450. A $100 recycling ticket becomes $300.²

After roughly 60 days, unpaid fines can be converted into liens against your property, with interest accruing at 9% annually. A lien follows the property: it surfaces when you try to sell or refinance. For businesses, multiple outstanding sanitation violations can draw regulatory attention that reaches operating licenses.

Contesting a Summons

Sanitation summonses are heard by the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH).¹² You must respond on or before the hearing date printed on the summons. Miss it and you get an automatic default judgment for the higher default penalty plus late charges.¹³

OATH offers three hearing formats: online submission, by phone, or in person. Many sanitation matters can be defended entirely through online submission, without a live appearance. Common defenses include proving the summons went to the wrong owner, showing you were in compliance at the time of inspection, or showing that someone else dumped trash on your property. Residential dirty-sidewalk tickets written outside the two authorized inspection windows can also be challenged on that basis.³

Some violations qualify for a cure period, letting you fix the problem by a set date and skip the hearing. Cure offers come from DSNY, not OATH, and are only available for certain violation types. Read the offer carefully because the deadlines are strict.¹⁴

How to Pay

Sanitation fines are paid through the city’s CityPay portal by credit card, debit card, or electronic check. Card payments carry a 2% service fee.¹⁵ You’ll need your 9-digit OATH ID or your summons number to pull up the violation.¹²

In-person payments are accepted at Department of Finance business centers in cash, money order, or certified check. If you pay by mail, write the summons number on the payment, include a copy of the summons, and send it certified. Mailed payments take several business days to process, so don’t cut it close to the deadline.

1
NYC New York City Department of Sanitation. Sidewalks and Gutters
2
NYC.gov. Sanitation Penalty Schedule
3
NYC.gov. Digest of Sanitation Regulations
4
NYC 311. Trash, Recycling, and Compost Collection Schedule
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City of New York. Official NYC Bin Availability Expands Citywide
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NYC.gov. Residential Waste Containerization
7
NYC311. Residential Waste Containerization
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NYC 311. Curbside Composting
9
NYC.gov. Snow and Ice Removal from Sidewalks
10
Justia. NYC Administrative Code 16-119 – Dumping Prohibited
11
American Legal Publishing. NYC Administrative Code 16-119 – Dumping Prohibited
12
City of New York. ECB Violations – NYC CityPay
13
NYC.gov. Online Hearing Submission – OATH
14
OATH – NYC.gov. Hearings and Defaults
15
City of New York. CityPay Website – NYC CityPay FAQ