Olmsted County, MN Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit needed
- None for a backyard site
- Max size
- 5 ft tall, 5x5 ft (4.6 cu yd)
- Setback
- 5 ft from rear/side property line
- Water buffer
- 20 ft from water/wetland/floodplain
- Commercial tier
- Needs CUP, 10 ft setback, 120 cu yd cap
Summary
Backyard compost piles are allowed in every zoning district in unincorporated Olmsted County as an accessory use, with no separate permit, but Section 10.53 caps a residential pile at five feet tall and five feet by five feet square, about 4.6 cubic yards, and requires it sit behind the house and at least five feet off the rear or side property line.
C. Compost, Backyard Site. ... 2. Location. a. Allowed in all zoning districts, as an accessory to a primary use allowed by Olmsted County Solid Waste Management Ordinance and as permitted by the local zoning authority. ... c. On a residential site, composting activities shall be located: 1. Behind the primary residence. 2. No closer than five (5) feet to any rear or side property line. ... 5. Volume of Compost a. Shall not exceed a maximum height of 5 feet tall and 5 feet x 5 feet square (or 4.6 Cubic Yards) in volume per parcel. Source separated organic materials not generated on site are allowed in amounts less than one cubic yard per month.
Full Breakdown
53 of the zoning ordinance splits composting into a no-permit Backyard Site and a permitted Commercial Small Facility, and oversight is split too: the local zoning authority handles the planning and zoning side while the county's Solid Waste Ordinance (Chapter 3500) governs the environmental protection side. For a residential Backyard Site, the pile must sit 'behind the primary residence' and 'no closer than five (5) feet to any rear or side property line'; in a Common Interest Community or Mobile Home Park the setback runs to any property line or road right-of-way.
2555, or inside a shore impact zone. 6 Cubic Yards) in volume per parcel,' though residents may bring in less than one cubic yard per month of outside organic material. Acceptable and prohibited materials are defined by cross-reference to Chapter 3500 Section 3506, the Solid Waste Management Ordinance. Scale up to a Commercial Small Facility and the rules change sharply: that tier needs both a permit from the Olmsted County Environmental Resources Department and a Conditional Use Permit from the applicable zoning authority, sits back at least ten feet from any property line, and can hold up to 120 cubic yards of material, a limit a backyard pile could never legally approach.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 1400 does not carve out a separate penalty for composting; a pile that busts the size or setback limits falls under the ordinance's general enforcement rule. Section 3.10 makes any zoning violation a misdemeanor, with each day of a non-compliant pile counted as a separate offense, and the county can order the pile relocated, reduced or removed under its standard enforcement authority in Section 3.08.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to start a backyard compost pile in unincorporated Olmsted County?
How big can my compost pile be?
How far from my property line does the pile need to be?
What if I want to run a commercial composting operation instead?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Olmsted County
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