Posted by Waste Happy
on September 10, 2026
Quick answer: there is no national dog poop law in the United States. Only one state, New Jersey, has a statewide rule, and Washington DC applies one rule across the whole District. Everywhere else, it is regulated by cities and counties. Of the 151 large cities we checked, 144 require you to pick up citywide. Five more only require it in parks or on other people's property, including Joliet, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Two have no pickup ordinance at all: Springfield, Missouri and Montgomery, Alabama.
We read the municipal code for each city rather than repeating numbers from other websites. That turned up something most guides get wrong: very few cities use a set ticket. 46 of the 151 cities we checked publish a fixed amount, from $25 to $250. The rest let a judge set the fine within a range, and those ceilings run as high as $2,650. When you see a big number quoted as "the fine" for a city, it is usually the ceiling.
All 50 states and Washington DC
| State | Statewide law | Cities checked | Fines in those cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No, city by city | 3 | $50 ticket |
| Alaska | No, city by city | 3 | $50 to $100 tickets |
| Arizona | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $2,500 |
| Arkansas | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $1,000 |
| California | No, city by city | 3 | $100 ticket |
| Colorado | No, city by city | 3 | $150 ticket |
| Connecticut | No, city by city | 3 | $100 to $150 tickets |
| Delaware | No, city by city | 3 | At least $25 |
| Florida | No, city by city | 3 | $100 to $150 tickets |
| Georgia | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $1,000 |
| Hawaii | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $1,000 |
| Idaho | No, city by city | 3 | $25 ticket |
| Illinois | No, city by city | 3 | $100 ticket |
| Indiana | No, city by city | 3 | $40 ticket |
| Iowa | No, city by city | 3 | $30 to $75 tickets |
| Kansas | No, city by city | 3 | $100 ticket |
| Kentucky | No, city by city | 3 | $25 ticket |
| Louisiana | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $1,000 |
| Maine | No, city by city | 3 | At least $50 |
| Maryland | No, city by city | 3 | $50 to $200 tickets |
| Massachusetts | No, city by city | 3 | $50 ticket |
| Michigan | No, city by city | 3 | $200 ticket |
| Minnesota | No, city by city | 3 | $25 ticket |
| Mississippi | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $1,000 |
| Missouri | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $1,000 |
| Montana | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $500 |
| Nebraska | No, city by city | 3 | $25 ticket |
| Nevada | No, city by city | 3 | $100 to $150 tickets |
| New Hampshire | No, city by city | 3 | $100 ticket |
| New Jersey | Yes | 3 | Up to $2,000 |
| New Mexico | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $500 |
| New York | No, city by city | 3 | $250 ticket |
| North Carolina | No, city by city | 3 | $50 to $100 tickets |
| North Dakota | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $1,500 |
| Ohio | No, city by city | 3 | $75 ticket |
| Oklahoma | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $750 |
| Oregon | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $150 |
| Pennsylvania | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $1,000 |
| Rhode Island | No, city by city | 3 | $50 ticket |
| South Carolina | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $500 |
| South Dakota | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $500 |
| Tennessee | No, city by city | 3 | $25 to $50 tickets |
| Texas | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $2,000 |
| Utah | No, city by city | 3 | $50 ticket |
| Vermont | No, city by city | 3 | $50 to $200 tickets |
| Virginia | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $500 |
| Washington | No, city by city | 3 | $54 ticket |
| Washington DC | Yes | 1 | $150 ticket |
| West Virginia | No, city by city | 3 | $25 ticket |
| Wisconsin | No, city by city | 3 | $100 ticket |
| Wyoming | No, city by city | 3 | Up to $750 |
How these laws usually work
Almost every ordinance has the same parts: a duty to remove waste immediately from public property and other people's property, a list of acceptable disposal methods, and often an exemption for people with a disability who use a service animal. 36 of the cities we checked add another: a duty to carry a means of removal while walking your dog, which makes an empty pocket an offense on its own.
The longer version, including how enforcement actually works and why so few tickets get written, is in is it illegal to not pick up dog poop.
Staying on the right side of all of them
Every ordinance on this list is satisfied the same way: pick it up, bag it, bin it. The carry rule is the one that catches people out, which is why a bag holder that lives on the leash is the cheapest insurance there is.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Ordinances change, and each state page links to the current code.
