Richland County has no ordinance banning residential backyard composting. Reasonable home compost piles are allowed, but a pile that becomes a nuisance, harbors vermin, or produces odors could be cited under the county's nuisance and noxious-vegetation provisions.
There is no Richland County code section that prohibits or permits home composting, and South Carolina's right-to-farm law (SC Code Ch. 46-45) protects agricultural composting. For a typical household, keeping a compost bin is unregulated. The limit is nuisance: Sec. 18-4 targets dead or desiccated growth that harbors infestations of insects, vermin, or rodents, and the county's general public-nuisance provisions (Sec. 18-8) can reach a compost operation that creates odors, attracts pests, or becomes unsanitary. Larger commercial composting facilities fall under SC DES/DHEC solid-waste regulation, not this residential guidance.
A reasonable home compost pile is not penalized. A pile that becomes a public nuisance or harbors vermin can be abated under Sec. 18-4/18-8 after notice, with costs recoverable as a lien.
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See how Columbia's composting rules stack up against other locations.
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