Pittsburgh to implement new garbage citation system

Pittsburgh officials will more easily be able to cite people who leave garbage on their property, improperly store trash cans or leave their cans at the curb too long before and after trash pickup.

City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation that will allow inspectors to issue quality-of-life tickets to people who violate city rules about garbage.

Councilmember Bob Charland, D-South Side, sponsored the measure to replace the existing “wildly inefficient” enforcement system.

Currently, city inspectors have to see a violation three times before taking action. They then start a legal process that typically takes about six weeks, Charland said.

The new system will allow inspectors to ticket people on the spot, similar to a parking ticket.

People will be charged $35 for a first offense, $50 for the second violation and $100 for a third offense within one calendar year.

Money collected from the tickets will go to the city’s general fund.

Charland said it will take several months to ramp up the new program and give residents a warning period. He’s anticipating the new ticketing will go into effect early next year.

The measure includes an appeal process for people who believe they were wrongly ticketed, and exemptions will be made for residents who have applied for various social services programs available to help elderly or disabled residents who may struggle to maintain their properties.

The measure largely revives a similar measure introduced in 2022 by Bruce Kraus, a former councilman and Charland’s predecessor. That bill included a similar ticketing system for trash violations, as well as a provision for properties with uncut grass or unsightly weeds, which was left out of Charland’s new iteration.