Eagle Mountain, UT Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)
Key Facts
- Who may compost
- any resident, for home gardening use
- Location standard
- must prevent disease, rodents, odor, nuisance
- Commercial use
- prohibited without Article III/VI permits
- Governing section
- EMMC 8.05.170
- Violation penalty
- Class B misdemeanor, per consolidated fee schedule
Summary
Eagle Mountain lets residents keep a compost pile for home gardening under EMMC 8.05.170, but the pile must be located and maintained so it doesn't spread disease, attract insects or rodents, or create odor or nuisance conditions. Selling compost commercially requires the same permits and operational approval as any other solid-waste business.
A person may keep or maintain compost on his property for home gardening if the following requirements are complied with: A. The compost shall be located and maintained to prevent the spread of disease, the propagation or harborage of insects or rodents, the creation of any odor or nuisance, or any other condition that might affect the public health, safety or welfare. B. The compost shall not be used or sold as a commercial product or used in any licensed business operation unless the requirements of approval, permits, and operation described in Articles III and VI of this chapter are complied with.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance O-34-2026, passed August 4, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Eagle Mountain's solid waste chapter bans accumulating waste on private property, but EMMC 8.05.160(D) exempts a compost pile from that ban, and EMMC 8.05.170 sets the conditions a resident must meet to keep one. A person may keep or maintain compost on his property for home gardening only if the pile is located and maintained to prevent the spread of disease, the propagation or harborage of insects or rodents, the creation of odor or nuisance, or any other condition affecting public health, safety, or welfare.
The rule is written for personal, noncommercial use: EMMC 8.05.170(B) bars using or selling the compost as a commercial product, or running a composting operation as a licensed business, unless the operator first obtains the building and operational permits described in Articles III and VI of the chapter, the same permitting track required of any solid waste facility. A compost pile that draws rodents or creates a nuisance also falls under EMMC 8.05.210, which requires every property owner to store solid waste in a way that prevents insect and rodent harborage, and under the city's nuisance and weed-control chapter, 8.07.
Because composting sits inside the solid waste chapter, a pile that violates the location or nuisance conditions of EMMC 8.05.170 is enforced the same way as any other solid waste violation: written notice, an opportunity to correct, and, if uncorrected, a Class B misdemeanor citation under EMMC 8.05.630 with fines set by the consolidated fee schedule.
Violations & Fines
A compost pile that spreads disease, attracts insects or rodents, or creates odor or nuisance violates EMMC 8.05.170(A) and is treated as a solid waste violation: the city issues written notice and an opportunity to correct under EMMC 8.05.560 through 8.05.580, and an uncorrected violation is a Class B misdemeanor under EMMC 8.05.630, with fines set by the consolidated fee schedule and each day counted separately under EMMC 8.05.640.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have a compost pile in my backyard in Eagle Mountain?
Can I sell the compost I make at home?
What happens if my compost pile attracts rodents or creates a smell neighbors complain about?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Eagle Mountain
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