Madera County, CA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Home composting of yard trimmings and food scraps is permitted in unincorporated Madera County as a beneficial way to recycle organics, provided it does not create a nuisance—such as strong odors, rodents, flies, or other vectors—that could be addressed under the County's health and nuisance rules. The major legal driver for organics, however, is California state law. SB 1383, the state's Short-Lived Climate Pollutants law, took effect January 1, 2022 and is implemented by CalRecycle under regulations in the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 7, Chapter 12. SB 1383 sets statewide goals to cut organic-waste landfill disposal 75 percent by 2025 (from 2014 levels) and to recover at least 20 percent of currently disposed edible food for people. Under SB 1383, jurisdictions must provide organic-waste (green-bin) collection service to residents and businesses, and residents and businesses are required to participate by keeping food scraps and yard/green waste out of the trash and using the organics program. Home composting is recognized as a valid way to manage your own organics on site and can reduce what you set out, but it does not exempt a property from the jurisdiction's organics-collection framework. Because curbside collection availability varies across the rural unincorporated county, confirm your specific organics-collection options with Madera County and your waste hauler, and compost on site in a way that avoids odors and pests.