Chapter 8.20
LITTER – HANDBILLS

Sections:

8.20.010    Definitions.

8.20.020    Litter in public places.

8.20.030    Placement of litter in receptacles so as to prevent scattering.

8.20.040    Sweeping litter into gutters prohibited except as otherwise authorized by the city council.

8.20.050    Merchants’ duty to keep sidewalks free of litter.

8.20.060    Litter thrown by persons in vehicles.

8.20.070    Truck loads causing litter.

8.20.080    Litter in parks.

8.20.090    Litter in lakes and fountains.

8.20.100    Throwing or distributing commercial handbills in public places.

8.20.110    Placing commercial and noncommercial handbills on vehicles.

8.20.120    Depositing commercial and noncommercial handbills on uninhabited or vacant premises.

8.20.130    Prohibited distribution of handbills where properly posted.

8.20.140    Distributing commercial and noncommercial handbills at inhabited private premises.

8.20.150    Exemption for mail and newspapers.

8.20.160    Deleted during 2011 recodification.

8.20.170    Litter on occupied private property.

8.20.180    Litter on vacant lots.

8.20.190    Handbills and posters.

8.20.010 Definitions.

For the purposes of this chapter:

“Authorized receptacle” is a public or private litter storage and collection receptacle.

“Commercial handbill” is any printed or written matter, any sample or device, dodger, circular, leaflet, pamphlet, paper, booklet, or any other printed or otherwise reproduced original or copies of any matter or literature:

(a) Which advertises for sale any merchandise, product, commodity, or thing;

(b) Which directs attention to any business or mercantile or commercial establishment, or other activity, for the purpose of either directly or indirectly promoting the interest in sales thereof;

(c) Which directs attention to or advertises any meeting, theatrical performance, exhibition, or event of any kind, for which an admission fee is charged for the purpose of private gain or profit. However, the terms of this clause shall not apply where an admission fee is charged or a collection is taken up for the purpose of defraying the expenses incident to such meeting, theatrical performance, exhibition, or event of any kind, when either the same is held, given or takes place in connection with the dissemination of information which is not restricted under the ordinary rules of decency, good morals, public peace, safety and good order; provided, that nothing contained in this clause shall be deemed to authorize the holding, giving or taking place of any meeting, theatrical performance, exhibition, or event of any kind without a license, where such license is or may be required by any law of this state, or under any ordinance of this city; or

(d) Which, while containing reading matter other than advertising matter, is predominantly and essentially an advertisement, and is distributed or circulated for advertising purposes or for the private benefit and gain of any person so engaged as advertiser or distributor.

“Garbage” means waste from preparation, cooking, or consumption of food, condemned food products and all refuse and waste from the handling, storage, preparation and sale of produce. Garbage originates primarily in kitchens, stores, markets, restaurants, hotels and other places where food is handled, stored, sold, cooked or consumed.

“Litter” is “garbage,” “refuse,” and “rubbish” as defined herein and all other waste material which, if thrown or deposited as herein prohibited, tends to create a danger to public health, safety, welfare or appearance of the city.

“Newspaper” is any newspaper of general or local circulation or any periodical or current magazine regularly published with not less than four issued per year, and sold to the public.

“Noncommercial handbill” is any printed or written matter, any sample, or device, dodger, circular, leaflet, pamphlet, newspaper, magazine, paper, booklet, or any other printed or otherwise reproduced original or copies of any matter of literature not included in the aforesaid definitions of a commercial handbill or newspaper.

“Park” is a park, reservation, playground, beach, recreation center or any other public area in the city, owned or used by the city.

“Refuse” is all putrescible and nonputrescible solid wastes (except body wastes), including garbage, rubbish, ashes, street cleanings, dead animals, and solid market and industrial wastes.

“Rubbish” is nonputrescible solid wastes consisting of both combustible and noncombustible wastes, such as paper, wrapping, cigarettes, cardboard, tin cans, yard clippings, leaves, wood, glass, bedding, crockery and similar materials.

“Vehicle” is every device in, on, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, including devices used exclusively on stationary rails or tracks. [Code 1997 § 10-4-31.]

8.20.020 Litter in public places.

No person shall throw or deposit litter in or on any street, sidewalk or other public place except:

(1) In authorized receptacles for collection or in official municipal garbage dumps; or

(2) For collection as authorized by the city council. [Code 1997 § 10-4-32.]

8.20.030 Placement of litter in receptacles so as to prevent scattering.

Persons placing litter in authorized receptacles shall do so in such a manner as to prevent it from being carried or deposited by the elements on any street, sidewalk or other public place or on private property. [Code 1997 § 10-4-33.]

8.20.040 Sweeping litter into gutters prohibited except as otherwise authorized by the city council.

No person shall sweep into or deposit in any gutter, street or other public place the accumulation of litter from any building or lot or from any public or private sidewalk or driveway. Persons owning or occupying property shall keep the sidewalk in front of their premises free of litter. [Code 1997 § 10-4-34.]

8.20.050 Merchants’ duty to keep sidewalks free of litter.

No person owning or occupying any place of business shall sweep into or deposit in any gutter, street or other public place the accumulation of litter from any building or lot or from any public or private sidewalk or driveway. Persons owning or occupying places of business shall keep the sidewalk in front of their business premises free of litter. [Code 1997 § 10-4-35.]

8.20.060 Litter thrown by persons in vehicles.

No person, while a driver or passenger in a vehicle, shall throw or deposit litter on any street or other public place, or on private property. [Code 1997 § 10-4-36.]

8.20.070 Truck loads causing litter.

No person shall drive or move any truck or other vehicle unless such vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any load, contents or litter from being blown or deposited on any street, alley or other public place. Nor shall any person drive or move any vehicle or truck, the wheels or tires of which carry onto or deposit on any street, alley or other public place, mud, dirt, sticky substances, litter or foreign matters of any kind. [Code 1997 § 10-4-37.]

8.20.080 Litter in parks.

No person shall throw or deposit litter in any park except in authorized receptacles and in such a manner that the litter will be prevented from being carried or deposited by the elements on any part of the park or on any street or other public place. Where authorized receptacles are not provided, all such litter shall be carried away from the park by the person responsible for its presence and properly disposed of elsewhere as provided herein. [Code 1997 § 10-4-38.]

8.20.090 Litter in lakes and fountains.

No person shall throw or deposit litter in any fountain, pond, lake, stream, bay or any other body of water in a park or elsewhere. [Code 1997 § 10-4-39.]

8.20.100 Throwing or distributing commercial handbills in public places.

No person shall throw or deposit any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or on any sidewalk, street or other public place. Unless otherwise authorized by the city council, it is an infraction for any person to hand out, distribute or sell any commercial handbill in any public place; provided, however, that it shall not be unlawful on any sidewalk, street, or other public place for any person to hand out or distribute, without charge to the receiver thereof, any handbill to any person willing to accept it. [Amended during 2011 recodification. Code 1997 § 10-4-40.]

8.20.110 Placing commercial and noncommercial handbills on vehicles.

Unless otherwise authorized by the city council, no person shall throw or deposit any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or on any vehicle; provided, however, that it shall not be unlawful in any public place for a person to hand out or distribute without charge to the receiver thereof a handbill to any occupant of a vehicle who is willing to accept it. [Amended during 2011 recodification. Code 1997 § 10-4-41.]

8.20.120 Depositing commercial and noncommercial handbills on uninhabited or vacant premises.

No person shall throw or deposit any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or on any private premises which are temporarily or continuously uninhabited or vacant. [Code 1997 § 10-4-42.]

8.20.130 Prohibited distribution of handbills where properly posted.

No person shall throw, deposit or distribute any commercial or noncommercial handbill on any private premises, if requested by anyone thereon not to do so or if there is placed on said premises in a conspicuous position near the entrance thereof a sign bearing the words: “No Trespassing,” “No Peddlers or Agents,” “No Advertisement,” or any similar notice, indicating in any manner that the occupants of the premises do not desire to be molested or have their right of privacy disturbed or to have any such handbills left on such premises. [Code 1997 § 10-4-43.]

8.20.140 Distributing commercial and noncommercial handbills at inhabited private premises.

No person shall throw, deposit or distribute any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or on private premises which are inhabited, except by handing or transmitting any such handbill directly to the owner, occupant, or other person then present in or on such private premises. However, in case of inhabited private premises which are not posted, as provided in this chapter, such person, unless requested by anyone on such premises not to do so, may place or deposit any such handbill in or on such inhabited private premises if such handbill is so placed or deposited as to secure or prevent such handbill from being blown or drifted about such premises or sidewalks, streets, or other public places, and except that mailboxes may not be so used when prohibited by federal postal law or regulations. [Code 1997 § 10-4-44.]

8.20.150 Exemption for mail and newspapers.

The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the distribution of mail by the United States, nor to newspapers, except that newspapers shall be placed on private property in such a manner so as to prevent their being carried or deposited by the elements on any street, sidewalk, or other public place or on private property. [Code 1997 § 10-4-45.]

8.20.160 Posting notice prohibited.

Deleted during 2011 recodification. [Code 1997 § 10-4-46.]

8.20.170 Litter on occupied private property.

No person shall throw or deposit litter on any occupied private property, whether owned by such person or not, except that the owner or person in control of private property may maintain authorized private receptacles for collection in such a manner that litter will be prevented from being carried or deposited by the elements on any street, sidewalk or other public place or on any private property. [Code 1997 § 10-4-47.]

8.20.180 Litter on vacant lots.

No person shall throw or deposit litter on any open or vacant private property whether or not owned by such person. [Code 1997 § 10-4-48.]

8.20.190 Handbills and posters.

(1) No person or business shall post, stick, paint or otherwise fix, or cause the same to be done by any person, any notice, placard, bill, card, poster, advertisement or other paper or device calculated to attract the attention of the public, upon any sidewalk, curb, or any other portion or part of any public way or public place or any lamppost, electric light, telegraph, telephone or railway structure, hydrant, shade tree or tree-box, or upon the columns, trusses, girders, railings, gates or other parts of any bridge or other public structure or building, or upon any pole, box or fixture of the fire alarm or police telegraph system, except such as may be authorized or required by the laws of the United States, or state, and the ordinances of this city.

(2) It shall be unlawful to distribute indiscriminately to the public by leaving at houses or residences in the city any cards, circulars, handbills, samples of merchandise, or any advertising matter whatsoever without having first secured a permit therefor. This section shall not be construed to apply to the sale of articles by licensed peddlers.

(3) Applications for such permit shall be made to the recorder and shall contain a statement of the nature of the article, cards or advertisement to be distributed, the name of the applicant and the name of the manufacturer or distributor of such article or service advertised. [Amended during 2011 recodification. Code 1997 § 10-4-49.]