Mount Prospect, IL Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Composting is regulated through the Property Maintenance Code the Village Board adopted in section 21.603 of the Village Code, which inserts a new subsection 302.11, Compost Piles, into the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code. Four limits apply to a residential pile.

Size: a pile cannot exceed a maximum of four (4) feet tall by four (4) feet wide by four (4) feet long. Location: it must be behind the principal structure, and no pile is permitted within any required front or side yard. Setback: a pile must be located a minimum of five (5) feet from a property line. Upkeep: the pile must be regularly tended to ensure the materials are properly decomposing.

The same amendment supplies the definition that decides what counts. A compost pile is a collection of easily decomposable, smaller particulate matter maintained for the purpose of providing an ecologically sound method of disposing of such materials. The rule is written as a maximum size per pile, with no adjustment for lot size.

Other yard rules in the same section sit right beside it. Subsection 302.4 sets the weed figure at 8 inches, and subsection 302.10 declares that no dead trees or shrubs shall be allowed to remain on any property within the village. Section 21.602 applies the property maintenance article to all buildings and real estate located within the Village, so the compost limits reach every lot. The code official is the director of community development or a duly authorized representative, and a person who disagrees with the official's interpretation of the code can appeal to the village manager under subsection 107.