Framingham, MA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Framingham City Code § 419-3, titled "Compost," prohibits depositing garbage, decayed meats, fish, fruit or vegetables, or any substance that may decompose, on any dump, street, way or property, public or private, except as the section otherwise allows. A resident or business that wants a place to deposit such decomposing material must submit a written request to the Board of Health identifying the location. That location has to be remote from streets and dwellings, and only after the Board of Health approves it as suitable will the Board issue a permit authorizing the deposit there.

This sits inside Article I, Rubbish and Refuse, alongside the general dumping-place permit process in § 419-2 (used for non-decomposing material, subject to burial schedules based on proximity to buildings) and the general litter ban in § 419-1. Any permit or license the Board of Health grants under this article, including a compost-deposit permit, can be revoked under § 419-4. There is no separate backyard bin size or setback standard printed in the code; the operative rule is the deposit-location permit requirement itself, administered by the Board of Health rather than Inspectional Services or the Department of Public Works.