Monterey County, CA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)
Key Facts
- Definition section
- Monterey County Code § 10.45.030(F)
- Size cap
- 100 cubic yards / 750 sq ft
- Alternative to
- Subscribing to County organics collection
- Scope
- Unincorporated Monterey County only
- Still subject to
- Nuisance removal order, § 10.41.020(E)
Summary
Monterey County Code § 10.45.030(F) defines 'community composting' as on-site composting of green, agricultural, food and vegetative food material capped at 100 cubic yards and 750 square feet of feedstock and finished compost at any one time. Under § 10.45.040(A), unincorporated-county households can use on-site or community composting instead of subscribing to the County's organic waste collection service.
F."Community composting" means any activity that composts green material, agricultural material, food material, and vegetative food material, alone or in combination, and the total amount of feedstock and Compost on-site at any one time does not exceed one hundred (100) cubic yards and seven hundred fifty (750) square feet, as specified in 14 CCR Section 17855(a)(4); or as otherwise defined by 14 CCR Section 18982(a)(8).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 56).
Full Breakdown
030(F) sets the size ceiling for on-site composting activity that the chapter recognizes as 'community composting': a combined total of feedstock and finished compost on the property that never exceeds one hundred cubic yards or seven hundred fifty square feet at any one time, tracking the state limit in 14 CCR § 17855(a)(4). 9(c). for the purpose of composting' from the county's ban on letting solid waste pile up, so a compliant compost pile is not treated as an unlawful accumulation. 020(E) still lets the Director of Health order removal if the pile becomes a nuisance from odor or rodent and fly attraction, meaning the composting carve-out does not override the county's basic sanitation standard.
Violations & Fines
There is no standalone fine for composting itself; a compost pile only becomes a violation if the Director of Health finds it has grown into a nuisance under § 10.41.020(E), or if a household skips both collection subscription and any qualifying on-site or community composting arrangement in violation of § 10.45.040, which carries a $50 to $500 administrative fine under § 10.45.120 depending on repeat offenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a size limit on a backyard compost pile in unincorporated Monterey County?
Can I compost instead of paying for the county's green-waste collection service?
Can the county force me to remove my compost pile?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monterey County
California rules heatmap·Compare Monterey County to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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