Philadelphia, June 17, 2022 – Yesterday City Council passed four Bills introduced by Councilmember David Oh (At Large) that will improve the quality of life in residential neighborhoods by prohibiting the parking of large commercial vehicles and strengthening the enforcement of illegal dumping regulations.
To combat the ongoing problem of illegal dumping, Oh’s bill authorizes a third-party entity to enforce of illegal dumping. As currently codified, the Police Department is tasked with enforcing illegal dumping violations. The Streets Department has installed cameras at dumping hot spots across the City to catch violators, and provides the footage to the Police Department for investigation and prosecution. The Police Department has stated, however, that they lack the proper resources to adequately enforce violations, and prosecutions of dumping violations have plummeted in recent years. Just 13 arrests were made in 2020 and two in the first nine months of 2021, according to data from the District Attorney’s office.
Bill No. 220243 gives the Administration authority to enter into arrangements with third party contractors to enforce dumping and trash violations under Chapter 10-700, Refuse and Littering, of the Philadelphia Code. Contractors will be authorized to boot and tow vehicles found to be involved in illegal dumping.
Bill Nos. 220245, 220246, and 220247 will crack down on illegal parking of large commercial vehicles – specifically trailers, semitrailers and auto carrier trailers – in residential neighborhoods. The legislation amends Section 12-919 of the Philadelphia Code, “On-Street Parking of Boats, Motor Homes, Truck Campers,” to add semitrailers and truck tractors and clarify that such vehicles cannot be parked on any residential street for any amount of time. It also establishes a $300 civil penalty for vehicles that are illegally parking on residential streets and authorizes the immobilization and towing of vehicles that are illegally parked in residential neighborhoods without proper authorization.
“The blight created by illegal dumping and abandoned vehicles is a major problem in our neighborhoods and a contributor in the rise of violence we are seeing.” Councilmember Oh said. “We need to change the current culture of dumping trash and abandoning large trailers and commercial vehicles in our neighborhoods. All residents, regardless of zip code, deserve clean, safe communities. I hope these measures can improve the responsiveness and efficiency in combatting these ongoing violations.”
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