Lee's Summit, MO Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

4, Composting, as a permitted use with specific engineering and siting standards rather than a ban. Every compost pile must be enclosed in a free-standing bin no taller than 5 feet; the bin's volume is capped at 150 cubic feet for a lot of 10,000 square feet or less, with an additional 150 cubic feet allowed for each extra 10,000 square feet of lot area, so a larger lot can support a proportionally larger bin. Piles have to be managed to prevent harboring rodents and pests, and the presence of rodents in or near a pile is itself grounds for the City to open a complaint; piles must also avoid unpleasant, rotten, sour or pungent odors and can't block the natural flow of stormwater drainage.

Siting rules keep compost away from neighbors: absent the adjoining owner's written permission, no pile can sit closer than 3 feet to a rear or side property line, closer than 20 feet to a neighboring home, patio, pool or similar structure, and every pile must stay at least 3 feet behind the front building setback line. The ordinance also limits what can go in the pile. Prohibited ingredients include lake weeds, food scraps, fish, fowl, meat or other animal products, manure, animal carcasses, and fruits, vegetables or nuts, while permitted ingredients are limited to yard waste, commercial compost additives and wood chips. Composting under this section is for private use only; selling the finished compost is not allowed.