Do You Obey the Tri-Cities Washington Scoop Laws?

Scoop Laws in Tri-Cities Washington

Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco all have their own scoop laws, but do you follow them?

What are the Tri-Cities Washington Scoop Laws?

If I asked you about "scoop laws" in Tri-Cities Washington, what would you think I was talking about? Maybe you thought I was talking about ice cream scoop laws. There are some interesting laws about ice cream believe it or not.

Did you know that ice cream by law must have "1.6 pounds of total solids to the gallon, weigh not less than 4.5 pounds to the gallon, and contain not less than 20 percent total milk solids, constituted of not less than 10 percent milkfat?"

You can read the rest of the standards for ice cream scoops on this Cornell Law School website if you like, but ice cream is not what I am talking about.

What are the Tri-Cities Scoop Laws?

Yes, I am talking to all the dog owners out there! Do you know it is required law to pick up all your dog poop, waste, or refuse (waste)?

If you have a dog you probably know and hopefully, you abide by the laws. I walk my dog every day, he poops every day. Every time I pick it up with a doggie bag and dump it in the poop trash at the park.

It is funny how much poop I actually see laying on the side of the sidewalks sometimes.

Do people just not know the law or are they just lazy? Probably the latter, but just in case here are the laws anyway.

Pasco Scoop Law

In Pasco, the law says "No dog shall be permitted to commit the following offenses on any premises or property, private or public: bite, or attempt to bite any person, destroy private property, scatter refuse."

Did you catch it hidden at the end? "Scatter refuse" was kind of hidden at the end. The law is in the Pasco Municipal Codes under Dog Control 6.05.40 (1).

Maybe, that is part of the reason I keep seeing poop all over. People just don't know the definition of refuse.

Richland Scoop Laws

The law in Richland and West Richland is very similar, they just use different wording. In West Richland, City Ordinance, #6 says "all dogs must be in compliance with existing leash laws, and all animal refuse must be cleaned by the owner of the animal."

Richland has almost the same law under code 7.03.50 saying "no dog shall be permitted to commit the following offenses on any premises or property, private or public: bite or attempt to bite any person, destroy private property, scatter refuse, chase vehicles, or commit any nuisance defined in this chapter or any other ordinance or law. [Ord. 32-98; Ord. 19-08; Ord. 24-19 § 1]."

There is that word refuse again. I really think people are confused with the actual meaning of the word.

Kennewick Scoop Laws

Kennewick, just like Richland, West Richland, and Pasco, has a law for picking up your pet waste.

Under Animal Control section 8.02.050 section 3 says "no dog shall be permitted to commit the following offenses on any premises or property, private or public: bite, or attempt to bite any person, destroy private property, scatter refuse, chase vehicles, or commit any nuisance defined in this Chapter or any other ordinance or law."

Once again the law uses the word refuse and I think people might be confused. Can we get the wording changed on all the local laws to simply say "poop" to avoid all the confusion?

I know, I know, but a man can dream, can't he?