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Chapter 541 – Offenses Relating to Property

541.31 REMOVAL AND ABANDONMENT OF SHOPPING CARTS.
(a) No person, other than the owner thereof, shall remove any shopping cart from the premises of any shop, store, grocery or supermarket. “Premises” includes parking lots adjacent thereto.

(b) No person shall abandon any shopping cart from a shop, store, grocery or supermarket on any street, alley, sidewalk or other place within the City. Carts found on adjacent public parking lots shall be considered on the premises and not abandoned.

(c) Any shopping cart found abandoned on any street, alley, sidewalk or other public place may be impounded by the police, who will then notify the owner thereof. Such carts may be reclaimed by the owner upon payment of five dollars ($5.00). Thirty days after notice to the owner, any unclaimed carts may be disposed of by the City. Any cart, the ownership of which cannot be determined, may be disposed of by the City thirty days after being impounded.
(Ord. 73-1963. Passed 4-15-63.)

(d) Whoever violates any of the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree and shall be subject to the penalty provided in Section 599.02.

About Shopping Cart Ordinances

Retailers can struggle to stop cart abandonment, often paying up to $15,000 a year on replacement carts and municipal fines and fees due imposed by communities. These cart regulations and laws are put in place to not only control the environmental impact of abandoned carts, but also to keep towns and cities clean.

Most shopping cart ordinances fall into three categories: The first category is regulations requiring retailers to have a plan to contain and collect errant shopping carts. Secondly, those that define the fines and penalties a city may impose on retailers for abandoned or errant shopping carts. Finally, the third category of rules generally requires retailers to have a system to contain shopping carts, preventing abandonment.