Grays Harbor County, WA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Grays Harbor County Code Section 8.12.050 generally makes it unlawful for the owners or occupants of any property, public or private, to deposit or accumulate litter upon such property, but the same section carves out a specific allowance for composting: the use of a compost pile or bin shall not be prohibited if the use and maintenance thereof is in such a manner as to prevent the attraction, breeding, and harboring of insects and rodents, provided the use of composting will not cause a public nuisance or be in violation of any other state or local laws, rules, or regulations.

That two-part test, no insect or rodent harboring and no public nuisance, is the only standard the code sets for a residential compost pile or bin; there is no separate size, setback or bin-material rule in the chapter. The same section also lets property owners store garbage or rubbish temporarily in approved litter receptacles or tied bundles awaiting pickup, and lets farming, logging, sawmilling and manufacturing operations pile process waste on-site for up to thirty days before it must move to a permitted disposal site.

A compost pile that draws rodents, attracts insects, or otherwise becomes a nuisance forfeits the exemption and is treated the same as any other unlawful accumulation of litter under the chapter, enforced by the county's solid waste enforcement technician or code compliance specialist under Section 8.12.120.