California · Health and Safety Code - HSC

HSC §117555: A person who places, deposits, or dumps, or who causes to be placed, deposited, or dumped, or who causes or allows to overflow, sewage, sludge, cesspool or septic tank effluent, accumulation of human

Misdemeanor

What this law says, in plain English

A person commits a misdemeanor by placing or dumping sewage, sludge, human waste, or solid waste on public property, roads, or private property without the owner's consent, with limited exceptions for authorized private disposal that creates no health or fire hazard.

Read the full statutory text
A person who places, deposits, or dumps, or who causes to be placed, deposited, or dumped, or who causes or allows to overflow, sewage, sludge, cesspool or septic tank effluent, accumulation of human excreta, or solid waste, in or upon a street, alley, public highway, or road in common use or upon a public park or other public property other than property designated or set aside for that purpose by the governing board or body having charge of the property, or upon private property without the owner’s consent, is guilty of a misdemeanor. This section does not apply to the placing, depositing, or dumping of solid waste upon private property by the owner, or a person authorized by the owner, of the private property, except that the placing, depositing, or dumping of the solid waste shall not create a public health and safety hazard, nuisance, or a fire hazard, as determined by a local enforcement agency, as defined in Section 40130 of the Public Resources Code, local health department, local fire department or fire district, or the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.