One Bronx resident found out the hard way that homeowners are responsible not only for cleaning their property and sidewalk, but also for a section of the street in front of them. NY1's Susan Jhun filed the following report.
It's a tiny piece of trash, but it cost homeowner Richard Garey $300.
"We do our best to maintain the sidewalks and our properties, but as far as the street, it's never really been a focus," Garey says.
That was until Garey received a violation from the Department of Sanitation for a piece of litter on the street in front of his curb, as documented in home security video.
"It's seems like we're being ticketed for an issue which a homeowner cannot reasonably be expected to address," Garey says.
Garey says trash often blows from overfilled garbage cans onto the street underneath cars where homeowners can't even see it.
"I would be nervous about cleaning underneath individuals' cars that I don't even know who they are," he says. "Even if I were to clean the street, there's nothing to say that additional litter wouldn't blow into the area."
Under city code, Sanitation can issue violations not only for dirty sidewalks, but also for failure to clean 18 inches into the street.
Ironically, Garey has sponsored and organized cleanups of local parks in an effort to address what he says is a severe litter problem in the neighborhood.
NY1 for You contacted the Department of Sanitation and asked about what Garey says is an unfair ticketing practice to generate revenue. NY1 for You also asked why instead of ticketing homeowners, Sanitation doesn't focus on catching the individuals who are actually doing the littering. Sanitation did not respond to our questions.
Garey says he plans to fight the ticket and the unreasonable rule behind it.