Jefferson County, MO Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Jefferson County treats a yard-waste composting operation as a conditional use, allowed only in the "RA-5" and "LR-2" residential zone districts under UDO Section 400.3145. The stated purpose is to let an operator receive yard waste and turn it into compost for resale, but the applicant must clear a detailed site-plan review before the Planning Division: the plan has to show the dimensions of the operating area, the property boundaries if they differ from that area, the location of every compost pile and existing or proposed structure, the distance from the operation to each property line, all rights-of-way and easements, any off-site structures within 200 feet of the property line, and the existing or proposed access point.

The facility needs a minimum parcel of two acres and can run only between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Access must be approved by whichever state, county or road district controls the entrance road, the entrance has to be lit, access points must carry signs warning of truck traffic, and the operator has to avoid routing trucks through a private subdivision.

Buffers scale with how close neighbors sit: a 50-foot buffer runs along every side of the site where no residential structure sits within 200 feet, but that buffer grows to 100 feet on any side that does have a residential structure within 200 feet. Where screening is required because a home sits closer than 200 feet, the operator can use a 50-foot natural buffer, a 15-foot planted buffer, or a Planning Division-approved combination as long as the natural portion is at least 25 feet deep. The County's Stormwater Division reviews the site for erosion and sediment control needs, and any structure built for the operation still needs its own building permit before construction starts.