Paramount, CA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Composting in the City of Paramount is regulated as part of the home garden conditions in § 17.08.020(D)(8) for the R-1 single-family zone. The stated purpose is to promote the recycling of landscape waste through composting, with minimum standards.

Location comes first. Compost areas must be a minimum of five feet from property lines and a minimum of 15 feet from a residential structure, and the 15 feet counts an accessory dwelling unit and a junior accessory dwelling unit as residential structures. The area must also be to the rear of the front dwelling on the property and cannot sit within any drainage or utility easement.

All compostable material must be enclosed in one or more compost bins, and the bins must be maintained to prevent attracting and harboring rodents and pests and to prevent unpleasant odors. Compostable material means leaves, grass clippings, garden debris, brush, tree clippings and other plant material generated solely within the residential lot where the material will be composted, so material hauled in from another property does not qualify.

Contents are limited. Compost shall only contain compostable material, soil, and commercial compost additives. The prohibited list covers processed food products, including salad dressings and cooking or other vegetable oils; animal or dairy products, including fats, bones, meat, fish, fowl and cheese; and manure of any kind or other pet or human waste.

The enforcement hook is the nuisance clause. Any compost that gives off foul or putrid odors, attracts vermin, or encroaches on neighboring property is declared to be a nuisance that results in penalties under the relevant enforcement provisions of the Paramount Municipal Code. The City Manager or a designated representative enforces Title 17 under § 17.04.120.