Queen Anne's County, MD Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Section 19-3(E) is the composting rule. It says the provisions of § 19-3 shall not be construed to prohibit or prevent the bona fide composting of organic material, including household organic materials, by any owner or occupant of property in Queen Anne's County. The County Commissioners added it on 7-28-2009 by Ord. No. 09-15, in the same ordinance that wrote the household waste rules next to it. Those neighbors define what compost cannot become. Section 19-3(C) requires all household waste to be stored in closed containers that are rodent and fly proof and securely sealed to prevent accidental spillage or infestation.

Section 19-3(D) bars household waste from accumulating more than two weeks before it is transported to an approved sanitary landfill, and says no household waste can remain on residential property for any period once it becomes foul, decaying or putrescent. The compost sentence itself sets no bin size, no setback and no permit, and the word bona fide signals that a pile of rotting trash does not qualify. The Part 1 nuisance list still applies to a compost heap that turns offensive: § 19-2(H) requires proper rodent control to discourage or eliminate rats, and § 19-2(B) prohibits depositing or accumulating foul, decaying or putrescent substances on land unless the Enforcement Officer approves the manner.

On farms, the Right to Farm definition of agricultural operation in § 19-9 lists composting among the covered activities. Enforcement of Part 1 runs through the Enforcement Officer designated by the County Commissioners, who can serve a written notice of abatement. Incorporated towns such as Centreville and Queenstown have separate codes.