Apple Valley, MN Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)
Key Facts
- Container required
- All compostable material confined to a container
- Location
- Rear yard, between rear property line and rear of main structure
- Distance to property lines
- No closer than five feet to any property line
- Street-side lot line
- 20 feet from a side lot line adjacent to a public street right-of-way
- Compostable plastics
- Must meet ASTM D6400; lined papers ASTM D6868
- Governing section
- Apple Valley Code of Ordinances § 50.02(B)(2)
Summary
In the City of Apple Valley, Minnesota, all compostable material must be confined to a container. A compost container goes in the rear yard between the rear property line and the rear of the main structure, no closer than five feet to any property line or 20 feet to a side lot line adjacent to a public street right-of-way.
(2) All compostable material must be confined to a container. Containers, used for the purpose of composting yard and compostable household waste, shall be located in the rear yard between the rear property line and the rear of the main structure and be no closer than five feet to any property line or 20 feet to a side lot line if adjacent to any public street right-of-way.
Full Breakdown
Composting in Apple Valley is allowed, but only in a container and only in one part of the lot. Section 50.02(B)(2) of the Apple Valley Code of Ordinances, adopted by the Apple Valley City Council in Dakota County, Minnesota, says all compostable material must be confined to a container, and it covers containers used for composting yard and compostable household waste. Open piles do not fit that wording.
Location has three parts. The container sits in the rear yard, meaning between the rear property line and the rear of the main structure. It stays no closer than five feet to any property line. And it stays no closer than 20 feet to a side lot line if that side lot line is adjacent to any public street right-of-way.
The code defines the terms in § 50.01. COMPOSTING is the controlled biological decomposition and management of selected solid waste to produce an innocuous, humus-like material, which can be used as a soil conditioner. COMPOSTABLE MATERIAL is any material that is primarily organic and can be decomposed through biological activity, and compostable plastics or lined papers must meet ASTM D6400 and ASTM D6868, respectively, as certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute or other similar independent certification bodies.
Composting also connects to hauler service. Yard waste is a defined term that excludes bushes, fibrous brush and woody materials that are not readily compostable within a calendar year. Under § 50.03(B)(6), a household that hauls its own waste to qualify for an exemption from the required hauler contract must privately compost yard waste, or unload it only at a compost facility or through licensed collectors.
Violations & Fines
Section 50.02 carries no penalty line of its own in the code, so the general penalty in § 10.99(A) applies: a fine and imprisonment up to the misdemeanor maximums in M.S. Chapter 609, or both, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense. Yard waste left on a premises for more than two weeks is declared a public nuisance under § 50.07(A), and the city can remove it and collect the cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a compost bin be from the property line in Apple Valley, MN?
Can I compost in an open pile in Apple Valley?
What counts as compostable material under the city code?
Does composting at home exempt me from trash hauler service?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Apple Valley
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