On March 31, 2025, New York City Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue and other critical stakeholders announced the City has amended a rule to increase penalties for unlawful dumping on Parks properties. An amendment to Section 1-07 of NYC Parks rules, effective March 31, raises the prior $1,000 penalty for a first-time illegal dumping offense to $5,000. There is also a $10,000 fine for each subsequent illegal dumping violation occurring within twelve months of the initial offense.
While illegal dumping affects parks citywide, the Bronx has been disproportionately impacted. In 2024, nearly 32,000 bags of illegally dumped trash were removed from Bronx parks. Since 2023, 70% of all summonses issued for illegal dumping by Parks enforcement have been in the Bronx.
To prevent repeat offenses, the City Parks Department is planning to install additional surveillance cameras in parks to support enforcement efforts, utilizing funding commitments from Council Members Oswald Feliz and Althea Stevens. Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson has also announced her intention to contribute funding for the installation of further cameras within parks.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “Every New Yorker deserves to have access to safe, clean, and welcoming parks. New York City has always gone after bad actors who illegally dump on our streets and in our parks, but starting today, we are upping the ante: If you trash our parks, you will be held accountable and charged five times more than before. Our increased penalties and additional surveillance cameras in parks will help prevent illegal dumping and improve quality of life across the five boroughs. But we are going further to keep parkland safe and clean: In my State of the City address, we announced we are adding a second cleaning shift at dozens of parks and keeping more parks’ bathrooms open, which will help us continue to make New York City the best place to raise a family.”
By: Chelsea Ramjeawan (Chelsea is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2025.)