Sampson County, NC Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Sec. 3-1-10 of the General Solid Waste Management Ordinance, effective February 2, 2026, treats backyard composting as a form of waste reduction and requires every person composting in the unincorporated county to follow the section's proper composting procedures (Sec. 3-1-10(a)). Composting activity may not occur within 25 feet of any dwelling structure on adjacent property, though on a multi-dwelling property composting may not inhibit reasonable use of the property (Sec. 3-1-10(b)(1)). The pile cannot create conditions conducive to breeding rodents, insects, or other animals in a way injurious to community health, and material cannot be allowed to blow off the property (Sec.

3-1-10(b)(2)-(3)). Materials attractive to dogs, cats, skunks, opossums, raccoons, or other wildlife must be protected from animal access, and composted materials may never include human bodily waste, pet fecal waste, or meat or dairy waste products (Sec. 3-1-10(b)(4)-(5)). Because composting sits inside the broader Solid Waste Ordinance, a pile that violates these standards, particularly the nuisance and odor provisions, can also trigger the separate ban on accumulating waste that creates a public nuisance under Sec. 3-1-09(4). The Board of Commissioners enforces the ordinance with the Sheriff's Office carrying out law enforcement (Sec. 3-1-13).