Chatham County and Savannah have no ordinance banning residential backyard composting. Home compost is allowed, but a pile that creates odor, attracts rodents or vermin, or becomes unsanitary can be cited as a nuisance under Savannah's code.
No specific composting ordinance governs unincorporated Chatham County or Savannah, so residents may keep a backyard compost bin or pile for yard and food waste. The limiting rule is the general nuisance code: Savannah Sec. 9-2067 declares conditions that harbor rodents or vermin, breed mosquitoes, or otherwise endanger public health to be a nuisance, and an improperly managed, wet, or garbage-laden pile could fall under it. Best practice is an enclosed bin set back from property lines, balanced greens and browns, no meat or dairy, and turned regularly to control odor and pests. The county and city promote composting as a way to divert yard waste from landfills.
Composting itself is not penalized. A pile that becomes a rodent-, vermin-, or odor-nuisance can be cited under Sec. 9-2067 and ordered abated after notice.
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