Tucson, AZ Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Section 16-13(c) is Tucson's answer to residents who want to compost without running afoul of the § 16-13(a)-(b) bans on untended vegetation and accumulated refuse and debris. The subsection expressly carves composting out of those prohibitions: "The provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section do not prohibit the maintenance of a compost pile on residential property, so long as the compost pile does not create a hazard" and meets four conditions. The pile must be (1) contained, (2) maintained so it does not produce offensive odors or attract flies or vermin, (3) located, insofar as reasonably possible, so it is not visible from abutting properties or streets, and (4) kept in compliance with any rules, regulations, and procedures the code official promulgates.

The ordinance applies only to residential property, it does not extend a composting allowance to commercial or industrial lots, which stay subject to the general refuse-accumulation ban. Because the exemption is conditional rather than automatic, an open, unscreened, or foul-smelling pile loses the § 16-13(c) protection and reverts to a straight § 16-13(a)-(b) violation for accumulated vegetation or debris. The section closes with its own enforcement trigger: "A compost pile not in compliance with all the provisions of this section is in violation of this chapter," putting it under the same notice-and-penalty machinery, § 16-45 notice of violation and § 16-48 penalties, as every other Article II maintenance standard in the chapter.