HomeMy WebLinkAboutORDINANCE No. 20-11-460 - 11/16/2020 - Amending Article 2 of Ch. 46 of the Milton Code to Revise the City's Litter Control OrdinanceSTATE OF GEORGIA
COUNTY OF FULTON
ORDINANCE NO. 20-11-460
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ARTICLE 2 OF CHAPTER 46 OF THE
MILTON CODE TO REVISE THE CITY'S LITTER CONTROL
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS , pursuant to its Charter and other laws of the State of Georgia, the City of
Milton , Georgia, has the power to adopt reasonable ordinances , resolutions and regulations for the
protection and preservation of the public health , safety and welfare of its citizens ; and
WHEREAS , the Milton Code includes provisions relating to control of litter within the
City limits ; and
WHEREAS , the City Council desires to amend the Milton Code to revise the City 's
regulations related to control of litter ,
NOW THEREFORE , the Council of the City of Milton hereby ordains , while in a
regularly called council meeting on November 16 , 2020 , at 6:00 p.m ., as follows:
SECTION 1. The Code of Ordinances of the City of Milton, Georgia, is hereby amended
to delete the entirety of Chapter 46 , Article II -Littering, and , in its place , add those provisions
set forth in Exhibit A , attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference.
SECTION 2. All ordinances , parts of ordinances , or regulations in conflict herewith are
hereby repealed.
SECTION 3. Thi s Ordinance shall become effective upon its adoption.
ORDAINED this the 16th day of November 2020.
Attest:
DocuSlgned by:
PAG E 1 OF 4
~DocuSigned by:
~B91l4 6 6 ...
Joe Lockwood , Mayor
EXHIBIT "A"
LITTER CONTROL ORDINANCE
46-24 GENERAL PROVISIONS
(a) Purpose and Intent
The purpose of this Article is to protect the public health , safety , environment, and general
welfare through the regulation and prevention of litter. The objectives of this Article are:
(1) Provide for uniform prohibition throughout the City of Milton of any and all littering on
public or private property ; and ,
(2) Prevent the desecration of the beauty and quality of life of the City of Milton and prevent
harm to the public health , safety , environment, and general welfare, including the
degradation of water and aquatic resources caused by litter.
(b) Applicability
This Article shall app ly to all public and private property within the City of Milton .
(c) Compatibility with Other Regulations
This Article is not intended to interfere with , abrogate , or annul any other Article , rule or
regulation , stature, or other provision of law. The requirements of this Article should be
considered minimum requirements , and where any provision of this Article imposes restrictions
different from those imposed by any other Article , rule or regulation , or other provision of la w ,
whichever provisions are more restrictive or impose higher protective standards for human health
or the environment shal I be considered to take precedence.
( d) Severability
If the provisions of any article, section , subsection , paragraph , subdivision or clause of this
Article shall be judged invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such order of judgment shall
not affect or invalidate the remainder of any artic le , section, subsection , paragraph , subdivision
or clause of this Article.
46-25 DEFINITIONS
(a) For purposes of this article, the fo ll owing definitions shall apply:
( 1) "Litter" means any organic or inorganic waste material , rubbish , refuse, garbage, trash ,
hulls, peelings, debris, grass , weeds , ashes, sand , gravel , slag, brickbats , metal , plastic,
and glass containers, broken g la ss , dead animals or intentionally or unintentionally
discarded materials of every kind and description which are not "waste" as such term is
defined in O.C.G.A., §16-7-51 , paragraph 6.
(2) "Public or private property" means the right of way of any road or highway ; any body
of water or watercourse or the shores thereof; any park, playground , building , refuge , or
conservation or recreation area ; timberlands or forests; and residential , commercia l,
industrial , or farm properties .
46-26 PROHIBITION AGAINST LITTERING PUBLIC OR PRIVATE PROPERTY OR
WATERS
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to dump , deposit, throw or leave or to cause
or permit the dumping, depositing, placing, throwing or leaving of litter on any public or private
property in the City of Milton or any waters in the City of Milton unless :
(1) The property is designated by the State or by any of its agencies or political subdivisions
for the disposal of such litter , and such person is authorized by the proper public authority
to use such property ;
(2) The litter is placed into a receptacle or container installed on such property; or,
(3) The person is the owner or tenant in lawful possession of such property , or has first
obtained consent of the owner or tenant in lawful possession, or unless the act is done
under the personal direction of the owner or tenant, all in a manner consistent with the
public welfare.
(4) Construction site operators must control waste such as discarded building materials,
concrete truck washout, chemicals, litter, and sanitary waste at the construction site that
may cause adverse impacts to water quality.
46-27 VEHICLE LOADS CAUSING LITTER
No person shall operate any motor vehicle with a load on or in such vehicle unless the load on or
in such vehicle is adequately secured to prevent the dropping or shifting of materials from such
load onto the roadway.
46-28 VIOLATIONS, ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTIES
(a) Violations
It shall be unlawful for any person to violate any provision or fail to comply with any of the
requirements of this Article. Any person who has violated or continues to violate the provisions
of this Article , may be subject to the enforcement actions outlined in this section or may be
restrained by injunction or otherwise sentenced in a manner provided by law.
(b) Evidence
(1) Whenever litter is thrown , deposited , dropped or dumped from any motor vehicle, boat,
airplane , or other conveyance in violation of this Article , it shall be prima facie evidence
that the operator of the conveyance has violated this Article.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (1), whenever any litter which is dumped, deposited ,
thrown or left on public or private property in violation of this Article is discovered to
contain any article or articles, including but not limited to letters , bills, publications or
other writing which display the name of the person thereon in such a manner as to
indicate that the article belongs or belonged to such person , it shall be a rebuttable
presumption that such person has violated this Article.
(c) Penalties
Any person who violates this Article shall be guilty of a v iolation and , upon conviction thereof,
shall be punished as follows:
( 1) By a fine of not less than $200 and not more than $1 ,000; and
(2) In addition to the fine set out in subsection 1 above , the violator shall reimburse the City
of Milton for the reasonable cost of removing the litter when the litter is or is ordered
removed by the City of Milton ; and
(3) The court may publish the names of persons convicted of violating this Article .
(d) Enforcement
All law enforcement agencies , officers and officials of this state or any political subdivision
thereof, or any enforcement agency , officer or any official of any commission of this state or any
political subdivision thereof, are hereby authorized , empowered and directed to enforce
compliance with this article.