The Farmington Police Department Code Compliance Unit is working hard to keep our city beautiful, but they can’t do it alone. They need the community’s help to ensure litter is disposed of in designated areas, such as the San Juan County Landfill or at Dumpster Weekends, which are scheduled twice a year.
In an effort to assist the public in complying with adopted codes and ordinances of the City of Farmington, Code Compliance would like to provide information regarding illegal dumping.
Farmington City Ordinance 23-1-5 (Dumping of Litter) states the following:
(a) It shall be unlawful to dump deposit, drop, throw, discard, leave, cause or permit the dumping, depositing, dropping, throwing, discarding or leaving of litter upon any public or private property in this city or upon or into any river, lake, pond or other stream or body of water or upon or into any roadside, ditch, glade, or arroyo in this city, unless:
(1) The property has been designated by the city for the disposal of litter; or
(2) The litter is placed in a receptacle or other container intended by the owner or tenant of that property for the deposit of litter.
(b) All complaints of alleged illegal dumping or disposal of litter in violation of this section, shall be investigated by the city. Enforcement officers shall, wherever practicable, inspect any illegally disposed litter found on any street, alley, public place, private place, or trash receptacle where trash was deposited by others not in control or not having ownership of such property, for any traceable ownership. Any personal identification or traceable ownership found in illegally dumped litter shall constitute prima facie evidence that the person whose identifying information is found, is presumed as the owner of such litter who dumped or placed such litter at the point where the violation occurred.
(c) If a person observes a vehicle from which litter was dumped illegally and obtains the license plate number of that vehicle, and the litter contains no identifiable or otherwise traceable indicia of ownership as noted in the preceding paragraph, then it shall be prima facie evidence that the littering was done by the person to whom the vehicle is registered and the registered vehicle owner had control and ownership over the illegally dumped trash.
The penalty for violation of this ordinance can be up to $500.00 per day that the violation continues.
Please remember that Farmington city residents may dispose of common household trash, construction material and debris, and green waste free of charge at the San Juan County Landfill.
Requirements to use the landfill:
- Present a utility bill with identification. If you are not the person listed on the utility bill but you live at the same address, proof of address is required.
- Farmington city residents can use a utility bill from the last six months to dispose of up to one ton of household waste. If the weight limit is exceeded, another bill from the previous six months can be used – up to six bills for a single trip.
NOTE: Payment is required for disposal of tires and animals.
Further information can be obtained by calling Waste Management at the San Juan County Landfill at 505-386-5005.
The next City of Farmington Dumpster Weekend is October 21st & 22nd from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Berg Park. Be sure to follow the City of Farmington’s Facebook page to see announcements on upcoming Dumpster Weekends.
The Farmington Police Department would like to thank the community for their assistance in keeping our city clean and beautiful!