Pets Depositing Waste

The law requires that any person who has a pet in a public place must remove excrement (or other solid waste) deposited by the animal. This applies to all public places including (but not limited to) streets, sidewalks, parking strips and public parks.

Note: This law does not apply to private property; waste deposited on private property would be a trespassing issue.

Dog waste on the sidewalk

Rkoblizek, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Steps For Solving

  1. Contact the animal's owner on a personal, neighbor-to-neighbor basis and let him/her know about the problem
  2. If this doesn’t solve the problem, neighborhood mediation is another possible avenue for resolution.  Sit down with a third party and talk about the issues. For Portland residents, you can contact Resolutions Northwest. For conflict resolution services in Fairview, Gresham, Troutdale, Wood Village, and East Multnomah County, you can contact East Metro Mediation
  3. In order to file a complaint regarding the deposition of animal waste in a public space, you may use the Animal Nuisance Complaint Form

    (PDF, 166.51KB). The form must be accompanied by photographic or video documentation of the animal in the act of depositing waste

To learn about what happens after filing a complaint, see notice of infraction process.