Upland, CA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Upland Municipal Code Ch. 13.28
- Key section
- § 13.28.220 self-haul exclusion
- Compliance-option sections
- §§ 13.28.550(A)(1), 13.28.560(A)(3)
- Community composting cap
- 100 cu. yd. / 750 sq. ft. on site
- Bin/design standard
- None set in city code
Summary
Upland does not ban or license backyard composting. Municipal Code § 13.28.220 lets residential householders compost organic waste generated on their own property without going through the city's authorized trash hauler, and §§ 13.28.550 and 13.28.560 name backyard and community composting as valid ways to meet the city's mandatory organic-waste diversion rules.
No provision of this chapter shall prevent residential householders from collecting and disposing of occasional loads of solid waste generated in or on their residential premises, or from composting organic waste, or from selling or disposing of recyclables generated in or on their residential premises. Each residential householder, however, shall subscribe to services provided by an authorized collector in accordance with Section 13.28.290.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4480959; v4 updated 2025-09-22).
Full Breakdown
Upland's solid waste chapter (Ch. 28, adopted by Ord. 1956 in 2021 to implement the state's SB 1383 organics rules) treats backyard composting as an approved compliance path rather than a regulated activity. 290. " Community composting itself is capped by the code's incorporated state definition at no more than 100 cubic yards and 750 square feet of feedstock and compost on site at any one time (14 CCR § 17855(a)(4)). The code sets no bin design, setback, or enclosure standard for a single household's backyard pile or bin; composting on your own residential lot is simply outside the mandatory collection-subscription requirement, not a separately permitted use.
Violations & Fines
There is no specific citation for backyard composting itself because the code does not regulate the pile or bin. If organic waste is not composted on-site and is instead dumped, buried, or burned anywhere in the city, § 13.28.370 makes that unlawful, and the citywide penalty at § 1.16.010 applies: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail, or both, unless the city attorney elects to charge it as an infraction under § 1.16.020 ($100 first offense, $200 second, $500 for each further offense within a year).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to compost in my Upland backyard?
Does backyard composting excuse me from the trash and organics collection fee?
Is there a size limit on a compost pile in Upland?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Upland
California rules heatmap·Compare Upland to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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Composting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle composting.