Staff seeking authorization to pursue Land Use Code text amendments related to Composting Incidental to Farming

Boulder County, Colo. - Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting will be requesting authorization from the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners to pursue a text amendment for the provisions surrounding Composting Incidental to Farming Operations.

The proposed update will not impact the provisions related to industrial composting, but is intended to further the county’s goals related to sustainability and climate, regenerative farming initiatives, and the development of a local circular economy.

This update would allow agricultural producers to source composting material from the public, which could then be composted on the farm. The finished compost would be used on-site for farming operations or may be sold as part of allowed Accessory Agricultural Sales.

The request for authorization follows a Feb. 16 virtual community meeting, and an online questionnaire that was made available online from Feb. 17 to March 3.

Staff has synthesized the feedback received from the online questionnaire, which may be found at the project webpage at boco.org/CompostingFarming. Also available on the webpage are the responses received in the questionnaire, as well as a recording of the community meeting and the staff presentation.

This project is still in the conceptual phase and a formal public comment period is not yet open. Staff is available to answer questions or receive comments at LongRange@bouldercounty.org or 303-441-1356.