St. Lucie County, FL Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Composting sits inside St. Lucie County's lot-cleanup nuisance rules, Code §§ 38-23 and 38-28, enforced against unincorporated properties by the county administrator and code enforcement division. Section 38-23 defines "compost bin" as a container built to let nonliving plant material decompose for use as fertilizer, and requires it be constructed of wire, wood lattice, or other material that lets air filter through the structure; the bin cannot exceed 64 square feet of area or five feet in height. " A third bin, or a bin exceeding the size and height caps, falls outside the permissible-use list and can be cited as an accumulation of plant material under the article's general nuisance declaration in Sec.

38-28(b). A property found in violation gets a notice of violation directing the owner, agent, custodian, lessee, or occupant to abate within 20 calendar days of receipt under Sec. 38-28(h)(2). Notice is sent by certified mail with a return receipt requested, and if delivery fails after a reasonable search, a physical posting of the notice on the property counts as the date received.