Regulating Weeds and Noxious Weeds

Contents

• About Uncontrolled Weeds
• Statutes and Regulations
• Weed Control Provisions Included in General Nuisance Provisions
• Separate Weed Control  Provisions
• County Weed Control Programs
• Milfoil Removal Programs
• Fire Season Weed Abatement
• Integrated Weed and Vegetation Control
• Additional Reference Sources
• Related MRSC Pages
  • Nuisances - Vegetation

About Uncontrolled Weeds

The need to regulate the growth of uncontrolled weeds and other vegetation include: the prevention of serious fire hazards, the removal of obstructions or interfere with streets and sidewalks, the prevention of noxious weed infestation, and neighborhood preservation. Weeds tend to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants such as desired crops, flowers gardens and lawn cover and may become detrimental to public health. See also Nuisances - Vegetation.

There are statutory provisions in  RCW 35.21.310 for any class of city or town to enact a general ordinance to require the owner of a property to remove or destroy grass, weed, shrubs, bushes or trees which are growing or which have grown and died from property owned or occupied by them which are a fire hazard or a menace to public health, safety or welfare.   Noxious weeds are addressed in Ch. RCW 17.10  - Noxious Weeds – Control Boards.  A noxious weed is defined as a plant that when established is highly destructive, competitive, or difficult to control by cultural or chemical practices. A Washington state noxious weed list appears  in Ch. 16-750 WAC and on the Noxious Weed Control Board's website. An additional reference source for noxious weeds is the Noxious Weeds in the U.S. and Canada Database at the University of Montana, supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Some local jurisdictions have broadened the definition of weed to include both the state list of noxious weeds and other weeds that are commonly considered a nuisance.  An example is the definition found in a few municipalities. The state Weed Control Board has Links to the County Weed Control Boards with websites.  Information on Cooperative Weed Management Areas  can be found at the Department of Agriculture.   Information on  eradicating weeds can also be obtained from Agricultural Extension Offices around the state.   

Statutes and Regulations

• RCW 35.21.310 - Removal of Overhanging or Obstructing Vegetation -- Removal, Destroying Debris (cities and towns)
• RCW Chapter 17.04 - Weed Districts - Most weed districts have been replaced by  county noxious weed control boards
• RCW Chapter 17.10  - Noxious Weeds-Control Boards
• Ch. 16-750 WAC - State Noxious Weed List and Schedule of Monetary Penalties

Weed Control Provisions Included in General Nuisance Ordinances

• Chelan Municipal Code  Ch.  8.09 - Vegetation, Weed and Debris Abatement
• Deer Park Municipal Code  Section 8.04.020(9)  - Noxious Weeds and Similar Vegetation over 12 in.
• Ellensburg Municipal Code  Ch.  5.40 - Nuisances - See Weed Abatement Provisions  - 5.40.360- 5.40
• Kelso Municipal Code  Section 8.24.050(C)(2)  - Types of Enumerated Nuisances
• LaConner Municipal Code  Section 7.10.020(f) () - Types of  nuisances
• SeaTac Municipal Code  Section 7.15.020  H-J - Property Maintenance - Duty to Maintain Property
• Union Gap Ordinance No. 2519 ()- adds weedy lots to its nuisance provisions, 2-07

Separate Weed Control Provisions

• Bellevue City Code  Ch. 14.06 - Trees, Weeds, and Vegetation  (affecting right-of-way)
• Edmonds Municipal Code  Ch. 6.30 - Noxious Weeds
• Kent Municipal Code  Ch. 8.07 - Weeds and Vegetation
• Kirkland Municipal  Code Ch. 9.12 - Control of Vegetation
• Redmond Municipal, Code  Ch. 6.12  - Noxious Weed Control and Tree Regulations

County Weed Control Programs

• Clark County  Vegetation Management
  • Clark County Code Title 7 - Weed Control Code
• King County Noxious Weed Information
• Lewis County Weed Control
• Stevens County Noxious Weed Control Board (Also lists ordinance provisions from Kettle Falls, Chewelah, and Colville)
• Whatcom County Noxious Weed Control Board  - Whatcom County
  • Whatcom County Code Ch. 2.27 - Noxious Weed Control Board
• Weed Districts
  • Grant County Code Title 17- Weed Districts
  • Yakima County Code Ch. 6.16 - Weed Control Districts  (Ch. 17.04 RCW)

Milfoil Removal Programs

• Aquatic Plants and Lakes - Washington State Department of Ecology
• NPDES Permits for Aquatic Noxious Weed Control - Washington State Department of Agriculture
• Washington State Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan -  Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2001 
• King County -  Aquatic Plants
• Lake and Beach Management Districts  - MRSC

Fire Season Weed Abatement

• Asotin Municipal Code  Ch. 8.10 () - Weeds,  See Article I - Dry Weeds (Section 8.08.010-.080) - Scroll to provisions
• Chelan Municipal Code Section 8.09.030 (B) - Dried weed fire hazard
• DuPont Municipal Code Ch. 14.04 - Vegetation, See  Section  14.04.080  - Hazardous conditions--Fire hazards.
• Ellensburg Municipal Code  Section 5.40.400  - Time for removal – Maximum height of weeds (See  also 5.40.360 - 5.40.520)
• Everett Municipal Code Ch. 8.08 - Removal of Vegetation,   See  Section 8.08.030  - Dead vegetation—Fire or health hazard
• Spokane Municipal Code  Section 10.08.040 - Fire Hazards from Vegetation
• Wenatchee Municipal Code Chapter 3.20 - Flammable Materials

Integrated Weed and Vegetation Control

• Integrated Pest Management -  MRSC
• Pierce County Integrated Vegetation Management Program () - NPDES Stormwater Management Program, Appendix 3
• Integrated Weed Control Project - Western Washington - Thurston County Extension
• Washington State Department of Transportation Vegetation Management
• Natural Vegetation Management - Grazing
  • King County Environmental Purchasing Bulletin No. 103 (), June 2007
  • Healing Hooves  - Washington based vegetation removal service using grazing animals
  • Noxious Weed Grazing by Goats Demonstration Project,  Impact, University of Idaho Extension
  • Noxious Weed Control through Multi Species Grazing  (), Report for Grant EW01-0006, USDA SARE Program, 2003(Project was based at Washington State University)

Additional Reference Sources

• Washington State Department of Agriculture - Weeds
• Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board
• Center for Invasive Weed Management - a regionally focused Center based at Montana State University that works in partnership with county, state, and federal agencies, tribes, nongovernmental organizations, private industry, commodity groups, and academic institutions
• National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC) - USDA
• North American Weed Management Association
• Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides
• Pacific Northwest Weed Management Handbook, Extension Services of Oregon State University, Washington State University, and the University of Idaho, 2004

Return to Nuisances - Vegetation

Related MRSC Resources

MRSC Index - Weeds, shrubbery, trees, vegetation