DATE: April 21, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Supervisor Garry Bredefeld, District 2
Supervisor Nathan Magsig, District 5
Joe Prado, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT: Amendment of Chapter 8.30 Related to the Land Application of Human-Derived Materials
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Conduct second hearing to amend the Fresno County Ordinance Code, Title 8 Health and Safety, Chapter 8.30 - Land Application of Biosolids, to add subsection 8.30.045; to amend subsections 8.30.010, 8.30.020, 8.30.040, and 8.30.070; to include prohibition on the land application of reduced human remains, or human compost, waive reading of the proposed Ordinance in its entirety, and adopt the proposed Ordinance.
REPORT
The fiscal impact of the recommended actions are unknown at this time. Costs related to enforcement by Department of Public Health or collaboration with other County departments may be partially offset by payment of fees, citations, and allows for cost recovery of actual costs. The recommended action will amend existing Chapter 8.30 of the Ordinance Code, related to the land application of human-derived materials, where subsection 8.30.045 is added, and subsections 8.30.010, 8.30.020, 8.30.040, and 8.30.070 are amended to prohibit the spreading, application, or integration of reduced human remains, or human compost, into the soil on land located in the unincorporated areas of Fresno County. This prohibition will not apply to private property that is not open to the public, except upon private land where food is grown, if the first crop harvested after application will be made available to the public for human consumption.
Violations of the ordinance would include the unauthorized spreading, application, or integration of human-derived materials in prohibited areas, and noncompliance with required removal or disposal provisions, and would be subject to criminal enforcement (misdemeanor), administrative citations with escalating fines, abate...
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