SCOOP Act Takes on Formidable, Foul Foe: NYC Dog Poop

New York City is planning on cutting the crap, with the City Council seeking to pass a suite of bills that will address the lingering (and aggravating) issue of unaccounted-for dog poop.

The Safe and Clean Outdoor Ownership Practices (“SCOOP”) Act, which consists of five pieces of legislation, is framed as a response to a spike in dog waste complaints over the first few months of 2026.

Specifically, 311 operators noted 821 dog poop complaints in January and February, a 35.8 percent spike in dog poop complaints compared to the same period in 2025.

Currently, New York City residents can already face a fine of up to $250 for failing to pick up after their dogs, making it advisable to do so.

However, such deterrence clearly hasn’t had the intended effect of de-crapifying city streets and sidewalks, much less city flowerbeds—with a Straus News report from last summer detailing how these patches of soil on the Upper East Side are riddled with doggy leftovers.

One bill, which is sponsored by Council Speaker and Upper East Side representativ Julie Menin, would require the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to install and fill dog poop bag dispensers on all of the city’s public litter baskets.

Menin’s bill would also require the DSNY, alongside the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to pursue a public education campaign on the ills of undealt-with dog poop.

“The Council is as eager as golden retrievers to tackle this issue, [which] is already a nuisance, across a broad range of neighborhoods,” Menin said at a May 15 rally on the subject.

The new bills, Menin added, were oriented around the following goals: “Improving community cleanliness, enhancing support for dog owners, and ensuring that dog waste is picked up throughout the five boroughs.”

“Today is not about blaming dogs or their loved ones who care for them,” Menin said. A dog at the press conference barked in assent, leading to chuckles. “It’s about giving people more resources, and gentle reminders, to better care for their furry friends and their communities.”

Another bill in the package, sponsored by East Side rep. Harvey Epstein, would require the NYC Parks Dept. to institute a pilot program for picking up dog poop in dog runs; they’d install dog poop collection bins in these dog parks, complete with “compostable” dog poop bags, as well as post signage reminding visitors to put said bags in said bins.

Epstein held up one of these purple bag packets for the cameras at the May 15 press conference, which he tied to his own travails as a dog owner; in a separate social media video that accompanied the announcement of the SCOOP Act, which featured more than a few dog poop puns, Epstein pointedly introduced viewers to his pooch Homer.

“Sometimes it happens to me. I run out, I don’t have a bag,” he said at the presser. “We’ll make sure those bags are available, it’s a really critical component.”

Yet another bill, spearheaded by Bronx rep. Justin Sanchez, would send the DSNY to city blocks that receive more than three 311 complaints related to dog poop within a week. They’d either clean up any mess themselves, or instruct nearby property (or dog) owners to do so.

The remaining two bills, sponsored by Brooklyn reps. Mercedes Narcisse and Shahana Hanif, would further cement public campaigning and signage posting about the harms of unaddressed dog poop.

The SCOOP Act is currently moving its way through committee hearings in the City Council.