Clackamas County, OR Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required to compost
- no
- Nuisance trigger
- odor, health hazard, or pest attraction
- Governing section
- Code § 10.03.060(B)(6)
- Notice to fix
- at least 10 days, § 10.03.070(B)
- Enforcement path
- Compliance Hearings Officer, civil penalty
Summary
Clackamas County does not require a permit to compost at home, but a compost pile that smells, breeds pests or creates a health hazard is a public nuisance under the solid waste code and can be ordered abated the same as any other solid waste violation.
6. Composting which causes offensive odors, or creates a health hazard, or which is capable of attracting or providing food for potential disease carriers such as birds, rodents, flies and other vectors.
7. Storing, collecting, maintaining, or displaying any licensed or unlicensed special vehicle or equipment that is immobile, inoperable, partially dismantled or dismantled, dilapidated, or fire damaged and is visible from the road or surrounding properties.
8. Storing, collecting, maintaining, or displaying a mobile home or trailer house, which is dilapidated or partially dismantled, or fire damaged, and is visible from the road or surrounding properties.
9. Storing, collecting, maintaining or displaying: residential, commercial and industrial appliances, equipment and furniture; vehicle parts; tires; scrap metal, or any other useless, unwanted or discarded material, or other similar non-putrescible solid waste or wastes, that is visible from the road or surrounding properties.
10. Storing, collecting, maintaining or displaying any antique, classic, race car or collectible vehicle that is inoperable and is visible from the road or surrounding properties.
Full Breakdown
060(A), which bars storing, collecting, maintaining or displaying solid waste that is offensive or hazardous to public health and safety or creates unsightliness. Because composting itself is not banned or licensed, an unincorporated county resident can run a backyard bin or pile without a county permit as long as it stays performance-compliant: no odor complaints, no rodent or fly infestation, and no standing health hazard. 030(43) explicitly includes yard debris, wood, sod, manure and fruit and vegetable waste as materials that are a food source for bacteria, which is the same category of material a poorly managed compost pile mishandles. 070 and can enter the property at reasonable times to check for odor, vermin or other nuisance conditions before issuing a notice to abate.
Violations & Fines
A composting nuisance follows the same abatement track as any Section 10.03.060 violation: a written notice giving at least ten days to fix the problem, referral to the Compliance Hearings Officer or the Board for a civil penalty set by resolution under Section 10.03.400 if the owner does not comply, and county-forced cleanup with costs billed and liened against the property under Section 10.03.070(E) if the deadline passes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to compost in unincorporated Clackamas County?
What happens if a neighbor complains about my compost pile?
Can the county force me to remove a smelly compost pile?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clackamas County
Compare Clackamas County to another location·View the Oregon landscaping rules overview
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