Dog Poop Hotspot: Harlem ZIP Code Sees Most NYC Pup Dropping Grumbles

HARLEM, NY — There are few worse feelings then realizing you have dog poop stuck to the bottom of your shoe, and a Harlem ZIP code appears to be leading the way for the growing issue.

Pooch dropping complaints made to 311 have jumped across the five boroughs in the first three-plus months of 2023 — and that increase has been more than just seen in Harlem — an area of the neighborhood has been leading the surge.

Patch examined 144 ZIP codes across the city for the number of dog poop complaints made to 311 since the beginning of the year.

None had more than Harlem's 10031.

There have been 26 complaints made in the area from West 133rd to West 153rd streets in West Harlem about pooch poop on the sidewalk thus far in 2023.

It is one of the just four ZIP codes across the city that has seen more than 20 complaints in the first three-plus months of the year.

To put that number in perspective, the 10031 ZIP code had 18 dog poop complaints for the entirety of 2022.

At the current rate, the Harlem ZIP code will have roughly 104 dog poop complaints by the end of 2023.

The figure would be nearly six times the number of complaints made in 2022 for the same ZIP code.

The dog poop issue isn't just increasing in one Harlem ZIP code, but seems to be growing problem across multiple local areas.

Here's a breakdown.

10026

• 2022: 7
• 2023 thus far: 7

10027

• 2022: 6
• 2023 thus far: 10

10030

• 2022: 7
• 2023 thus far: 15

10031

• 2022: 18
• 2023 thus far: 26

All four Harlem ZIP codes above have either seen the same or more amount of dog poop complaints to 311 in the first three and half months of 2023, than the entirety of 2022.

Harlem's 10030 ZIP code currently has the 10th most complaints in 2023 of any of the 143 ZIP codes with at least one complaint made this year.

There were nearly 800 complaints about dog waste on sidewalks during the first three months this year, compared to roughly 600 in the same span last year, 311 data shows.

The brown wave seen across the five boroughs to begin the year prompted city sanitation officials this week to mount an ad campaign aimed at rep-poo-bates who don't pick up after their pups.

"Don't Leave _ _it On The Sidewalk," is the campaign's scatological slogan.

Even though the City is getting cleaner - there's still too much litter and dog waste on our sidewalks.

Together with @WeLoveNYC, we launched a campaign to shame the litterers and dog-poopetrators.

Remember, Don’t Leave __it on the Sidewalk. 💩 pic.twitter.com/dG9QQLgnYy
— NYC Sanitation (@NYCSanitation) April 10, 2023

Patch reporter Matt Troutman contributed to this report.