Florissant, MO Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Chapter 220's definitions section, § 220.010, defines "garbage" as "any waste or animal or vegetable matter likely to decay or usually discarded as waste matter from any source," then immediately excludes "compost matter which does not create a nuisance or emit an obnoxious odor." That single clause is the entire local rule: Florissant sets no size limit, no setback, no bin-material standard and no permit requirement for a residential compost pile, unlike its detailed rules for garbage and rubbish containers elsewhere in the same Chapter.

The exemption is conditional, not absolute. Once a compost pile "creates a nuisance or emits an obnoxious odor," it drops out of the compost exclusion and back into the ordinary garbage definition, which means it must then be kept in a container meeting § 220.040's specifications: heavy plastic polyethylene or heavy-gauge metal, watertight, five to ninety-five gallons, fitted with a fly-proof lid kept closed except when depositing waste. A smelly or vermin-attracting pile can also be charged separately as a nuisance affecting health under § 213.010(A), which lists accumulations of manure, rubbish, garbage, refuse and noxious or offensive waste, and infestations of flies, roaches, rats and mice, among the City's enumerated nuisances, or as a general public nuisance under § 213.030 if it becomes visible debris that reduces neighboring property values or is offensive to the senses. Either nuisance route runs through the Building Commissioner, with written notice and the potential for a City-ordered cleanup billed back to the owner.