Pay a fixed penalty

• £80, which, if paid within 10 days is reduced to £60 for littering £50 for dog fouling 
• £50 for allowing a dog to stray (if paid within 14 days). 

However if you do not pay the fixed penalty notice, you will be summonsed to appear in court and be faced with a conviction that could cost you up to £2,500.

There are no formal grounds of appeal against a fixed penalty notice.

If you want to dispute the fine you need to write to us within 14 days from the date of issue of the fixed penalty notice after it has been issued. 

In this letter you should: 

• quote the fixed penalty notice reference number (in the top right corner of the notice)
• include all relevant information for your dispute

Letters can be posted to:

The Enforcement Team,
City and Neighbourhood Services Department,
Cecil Ward Building,
5th Floor, 4-10 Linenhall Street,
Belfast,
BT2 8BP

or emailed to:  enforcement@belfastcity.gov.uk

We'll review your case and advise you of the outcome. If you're unsuccessful you must pay the fine or allow the case proceed to court. A magistrate will decide on the outcome based on the facts that you and the council present in court. 

We are not required to place signs in every street, park or open space, however there are many signs in Belfast advising the public that they can be fined for littering or not disposing of their dog waste correctly.

Similar environmental legislation applies throughout the UK and in the Republic of Ireland. We run campaigns targeting littering and dog fouling. The current campaign highlights litter enforcement including notices on bins, vehicles, regular press releases and articles in the council’s magazine “City Matters”.

It is not possible for the council to put litter bins in every street, road and highway in the borough. We make every effort to place bins where they are most needed and where there are the greatest levels of pedestrian footfall. Dog waste, once bagged can be placed in any litter bin in the city.

Where bins are not available then it is up to everyone to act responsibly and either take their litter home or carry it until a litter bin is available. 

Litter includes not only cigarette butts but also chewing gum. In many ways these items are more of a nuisance and more expensive to clean up than other items of rubbish. 

Littering offences relate to the dropping of litter so even if you volunteer to pick up your litter afterwards, you have still committed an offence and will receive a fixed penalty notice.

We have promoted the litter enforcement message through our anti litter campaigns and education programmes in schools and communities. We adopt a robust enforcement approach to those who disregard the anti litter message.

If you contact us before 14 days to explain your circumstances this will be reviewed and you may be granted a time extension to pay the fixed penalty notice. The fixed penalty notice cannot be paid in instalments.

If you don't pay the fixed penalty, you'll be summonsed to appear in court and if convicted you could face a fine of up to £2,500. Once a summons is issued we may accept payment of the fixed penalty. However, you'll also be liable for the additional administration and legal costs incurred. These additional costs will be at least £41.