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Corona, CA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Light Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Threshold
100 cubic yards / 750 sq ft feedstock+compost
Reporting duty
capacity info within 60 days of city request
No bin ordinance
no backyard composting permit or setback rule
Manure composting
banned without administrator's written approval
Governing sections
§§ 8.20.020, 8.20.390(B)(2)

Summary

Corona's code regulates composting only at the 'community composting' scale defined in § 8.20.020: any site handling green waste, agricultural material, food material, or vegetative material where feedstock and finished compost together never exceed 100 cubic yards and 750 square feet at one time. Operators of a qualifying site must report capacity information to the city within 60 days of a request under § 8.20.390(B)(2).

"Community composting" means any activity that composts green waste, agricultural material, food material, and vegetative food material, alone or in combination, and the total amount of feedstock and compost on-site at any one time does not exceed 100 cubic yards and 750 square feet. ... Community composting operators shall, within 60 days of request by the city, provide information to the city to support organic waste capacity planning, including, but not limited to, an estimate of the amount of organic waste anticipated to be handled at the community composting operation.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-56: Supplement contains: Local legislation passed through Ord. 3423, passed 12-3-2025).

Full Breakdown

020. Above that footprint, the operation moves out of this chapter and into state solid waste facility permitting. 390(B)(2), the operator must, within 60 days of a request from the city, supply information to support the city's organic-waste capacity planning, including an estimate of how much organic waste the site is expected to handle. 390(B)(1). 330(J) confirms that nothing in the commercial waste-generator requirements prohibits an owner or occupant of commercial premises or a commercial business from managing organic waste on site or using a community composting site.

080(E), bans composting manure from horses or livestock anywhere in the city without the administrator's written approval, a rule aimed at runoff and fire risk rather than yard or food-scrap composting.

Violations & Fines

There is no standalone composting bin penalty. A community composting operator that ignores a city request for capacity information under § 8.20.390(B)(2) is enforceable the same as any other Chapter 8.20 violation: an infraction fined $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 after that, under §§ 8.20.420(A) and 1.08.025(B). Manure composting done without the administrator's written approval under § 8.20.080(E) is a separate misdemeanor exposing the violator to up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail under § 1.08.025(A).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Corona require a permit for a backyard compost bin?
No. Chapter 8.20 only regulates composting once it reaches 'community composting' scale, meaning feedstock and finished compost together exceed 100 cubic yards or 750 square feet at one time under § 8.20.020. A typical household compost bin stays far below that threshold and is not separately licensed or inspected under this chapter.
What does a community composting operator have to give the city?
Under § 8.20.390(B)(2), an operator must, within 60 days of a city request, provide information to support organic-waste capacity planning, including an estimate of how much organic waste the site is expected to process. The same 60-day rule applies to composting facilities and in-vessel digesters under § 8.20.390(B)(1).
Can I compost horse manure in Corona?
Only with approval. Section 8.20.080(E) states that 'manure composting is prohibited without the written approval of the administrator,' separate from the manure storage, setback, and weekly-removal rules that already apply to livestock manure under the rest of § 8.20.080.

Sources & Official References

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