TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Warm spring weather might have you ready to kick off your shoes and go frolic in the grass, but you have to be careful where you step. Twin Falls faces an uncollected pet waste problem that is overrunning our city's parks and green spaces.
An ordinance enacted in November 2025 attaches a $50 fine to failing to collect a pet’s waste in parks in the city. The ordinance change reduced violations from misdemeanors to infractions and imposed fines instead, which makes enforcement slightly easier.
WATCH: How much pet waste are we talking about, here?
Twin Falls Parks and Rec Director Wendy Davis explained the need for the rule.
"Up until this change, there was really no specific language that dealt with pet waste," Davis said.
"And there’s no magical thing that happens. I don’t have people running around with buckets doing it so everybody can help, many hands make light work," Davis said.
"It’s unsightly, it’s messy, especially in parts where people are trying to play or sit down and have a picnic, and in having to work around landmines isn’t ideal," Davis said.
To help illustrate the issue, I went to Harmon Park with some lawn-marking flags. Whenever I saw some uncollected pet waste, I marked it with a flag. In just about 15 minutes, without even trying too hard, I was able to plant 50 flags in just one 100-yard area, despite a trash can being a dog-bag's throw away.
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More than just an unpleasant odor, uncollected pet waste is a threat to public health.
To get an expert’s opinion, I went to Dr. Zsigmond Szanto at Twin Falls Veterinary Clinic and Hospital.
"Dog waste, especially stool, can be a source of E. coli and Salmonella," Szanto said.
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"It may not make the dog sick, but they can shed tremendous numbers of E. coli and salmonella that can be very, very detrimental to human health," Szanto said.
I caught up with Bill Wrong, who was walking his dogs in City Park. When I told him there is now a $50 fine for anyone who fails to pick up their pet's waste, he told me he thought it was a good idea.
"For the most part, people I see walking their dogs like me are good about picking up their pets, but you sure see a lot of it that isn’t picked up," Wrong said.
"I just think it’s a good idea, and I hope they fall through and figure out some way to enforce it," Wrong said.
- This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
