Aside from it being common sense and common courtesy to pick up your dog’s waste, dog owners could actually face significant fines for failing to pick up after their pets. While there is no statewide law in Illinois that requires dog owners to pick up pet excrement, various municipalities have their own laws regarding this issue. When we turn to Chicago Municipal Code §7-12-420, we can see that Chicago residents could face a fine of not less than $50 and up to $500 every time they fail to remove excrement left by their dog in a public location.
The bottom line is that you need to pick up after your pets. Nobody wants to step in dog mess when they are out walking, and it does not take more than 10 seconds to clean up after little Fido or Bella.