Pet waste can be a nuisance.

So the City Commission set a new ordinance in Tallahassee, to make sure pet owners are properly disposing of their pet's waste.

The long debated ordinance went into affect on Friday, requiring dog owners to pick up their pet's waste, or face a fifty dollar fine.

The reason, damage to the city's water quality.

City Officials say one of the big polluters to the water quality is the nutrients found in animal waste.

"I know that the um, the animal defecations can seep into the water supply and it can pollute the water supply, which doesn't get cleaned before we use it," says Dog Owner, Rhonda Poore.

Although officials are not going to assign code-enforcement officers to patrol for puppy poop, if a person receives enough complaints, violators could face up to five hundred dollars in fines, if continuous violations occur.

"If it does end up being the same person over and over again, then yeah, sure, I mean I feel like maybe you should get a ticket for that you know, " says Dog Owner Brandon Mauer."

The ordinance applies to all public spaces and recreational areas in the city, including biking trails, lakes, and sports fields.

Throwing pet waste in the trash is actually against the law in some communities.

Some alternatives for proper waste disposal are flushing it down the toilet or burying it at least five inches in the ground.

Although dogs aren't the only source of animal waste, the ordinance gives pet owners an extra incentive to clean up after their pets.

The city's Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs Departments have added disposal stations in several parks and will continue to add more where needed.