Concord, NC Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)
Key Facts
- Backyard compost piles
- Exempt from nuisance ban if maintained
- Chicken-manure compost
- Must use an enclosed backyard composter
- Stored unprocessed manure limit
- 2 cubic feet, waterproof container
- Correction window
- 5 days after written nuisance notice
- Repeat violator
- 3 notices/year triggers no-notice abatement
Summary
Concord's nuisance ordinance carves compost piles out of its garbage-and-putrescible-matter nuisance ban, so a properly maintained backyard compost pile is legal. Chicken owners face a stricter rule: any compost made with chicken manure must go in an enclosed backyard composter.
Is an open place of collection of garbage, food waste, animal waste, or any other rotten or putrescible matter of any kind; however, nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prevent the generally accepted use of a properly maintained compost pile or storage of animal manure being used as fertilizer for lawns and gardens and for other agricultural or horticultural purposes; or ... Any compost using chicken manure shall be produced in an enclosed backyard composter.
Full Breakdown
Concord Code Sec. ' That means an ordinary backyard compost pile is not, by itself, a code violation as long as it stays maintained rather than becoming an open pile of rotting, unmanaged waste; the Code Enforcement division under this section can still act if a pile is neglected and starts attracting pests, since subsection (a)(1) separately bans any condition that harbors mosquitoes or rats. A tighter rule applies to residents who keep backyard chickens under CDO Sec. G: any compost made using chicken manure must be produced in an enclosed backyard composter (Sec.
ii), no more than two cubic feet of unprocessed chicken manure may be stored for use as fertilizer, and it must be kept in a waterproof container, with all other manure disposed of or composted (Sec. i). Chicken coops and pens themselves must be kept in a sanitary condition at all times (Sec. iv). S. 160A-193; a chronic violator with three notices in a calendar year can be cited again without further notice and faces an added civil penalty under the city's fee schedule.
Violations & Fines
An unmaintained, rotting compost heap that draws rodents or insects can be cited as a public nuisance under Sec. 30-161, triggering a five-day written correction notice, a civil penalty from the city's fee schedule, and, for repeat offenders, city abatement billed back to the owner as a lien. Chicken keepers who compost manure outside an enclosed backyard composter violate CDO Sec. 8.3.3.G and can lose their Zoning Clearance Permit for the flock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is backyard composting legal in Concord, NC?
Do I need a special bin to compost chicken manure in Concord?
What happens if my compost pile becomes a nuisance in Concord?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Concord
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