A clean city is essential to the health and safety of our residents and the economic vitality of our neighborhoods. Everyone shares responsibility for maintaining a clean and green city! The Department of Public Works and the Mayor’s Office of the Clean City will continue to lead DC’s litter prevention efforts, as keeping the city clean is central to their mission. But, Metropolitan Police Department officers, with their round-the-clock presence on the streets, will also help deter people from littering.
New Littering Enforcement
On September 1, 2014, MPD launched citywide enforcement of the District of Columbia’s anti-littering laws, allowing officers to issue $75 Notices of Violation (NOV) or make an arrest of any pedestrian observed littering. The citywide enforcement comes after warnings were issued during the month of August.
- If an officer sees you dropping garbage, trash, debris, or any other kind of discarded material on public space, in waterways, or on someone else’s private property, you may receive a $75 Notice of Violation for littering.
- If you are issued an NOV for littering, you are required to provide an accurate name and address to the officer. If you refuse or fail to provide an accurate name and address, you can be arrested. Upon conviction, you will be fined an additional $100 to $250 by the DC Superior Court.
- Failure to respond to the NOV for littering by either paying the fine or appealing the ticket will result in additional penalties.
Continuing Littering Enforcement
MPD officers will continue to issue $100 traffic tickets to the driver of any vehicle where an officer observes either the driver or any passenger toss trash of any kind onto someone else’s private property or onto any public space, such as streets, alleys, or sidewalks.
For littering data from 2010 onward, please see the appendices in the MPD's Annual Reports.