Bowling Green, KY Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Section 27-5.05(d) of the Property Code, part of Bowling Green's nuisance chapter, sets the standards for residential compost piles. All compost must be contained in a bin, and the material inside "shall originate from the property where it is located," so bins cannot be used to compost material hauled in from elsewhere. Each bin is capped at one hundred twenty-five (125) cubic feet and must be built of permanent material such as wood, fiberglass, wire or metal rather than left as an open pile. The section requires bins to be "constructed to prevent the harborage of rodents and insects and to mitigate noxious odors," and sets siting rules: no compost bin in a front or side yard, a minimum five-foot setback from the property line, and no more than three bins per residence.

A compost pile that fails these standards is treated as a public nuisance under Sec. 27-5.05, enforced the same way as the chapter's other property-maintenance violations: the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services issues a Notice of Violation, and the Sec. 27-7.01 fine schedule sets non-structural property-maintenance fines at $100 for a first uncontested offense, $200 for a second and $400 for further offenses, doubling if the citation is contested before the Code Enforcement and Nuisance Board.