Animal Waste - DSNY

New York City Department of Sanitation


CleaningCollectionSnow ResponseOther Programs

Animal Waste
Derelict Vehicles & Abandoned Bikes
Graffiti Removal
Highways
Illegal Dumping
Litter & Litter Baskets
Sidewalks & Gutters
Street Cleaning & ASP
Street Vending Enforcement
Sidewalk Slobs

Animal Waste

Derelict Vehicles & Abandoned Bikes

Graffiti Removal

Highways

Illegal Dumping

Litter & Litter Baskets

Sidewalks & Gutters

Street Cleaning & ASP

Street Vending Enforcement

Sidewalk Slobs


Animal Waste

Dog or other animal waste can be disposed of in your household trash, flushed down the toilet, or, if it is in a tied bag, discarded in a public litter basket.

DO NOT put animal waste, soiled bedding, or kitty litter into Curbside Composting or Recycling.

Dog owners and dog walkers are responsible for cleaning up dog waste in all public areas.

Property owners are responsible for keeping the public areas near their property clean. This includes:

Sidewalks (including tree pits and grass strips)

Gutter areas (18 inches from the curb into the street)

Open front yards

You are responsible for removing animal waste in these areas, even if it does not belong to your pet or is from a wild animal. You may get a ticket for waste you should have picked up but didn't — even if you filed a complaint.

Report animal waste not picked up by a property owner.

Pooper Scooper Law

DSNY enforces the Pooper Scooper Law by investigating public areas with frequent complaints of people not picking up after their dogs.

If you do not clean up after your dog, you may be fined up to $250.

If you know a public area where people frequently fail to pick up after their dogs, you can request surveillance to catch the Pooper Scooper violators.

What you need

Location of the public area where the offenses occur

Dates and timeframes they occur

Your contact information (we may contact you if they need more information)

What you can't report

Guide dogs or other service animals

Dogs urinating on public or private property

Report a location where dog walkers don't pick up after their dogs.

Learn more about reporting dog or animal waste in parks or on private property.