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 Control
- Additional Reference Sources
- Related MRSC Pages
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 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 state noxious weed list appears in Ch. 16-750 WAC. 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. Information on eradicating weeds can 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
- 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 Section 8.08.020(E)
- Deer Park Municipal Code Section 8.04.020(9) - Noxious weeds and similar vegetation over 12 in.
- Ellensburg Municipal Code Section 5.40.40
- Kelso Municipal Code Section 8.24.050(C)(2)
- LaConner Municipal Code Section 7.10.020(f)
- SeaTac Municipal Code Section 7.15.020(H)
- Union Gap Ordinance No. 2519 (
16 KB)- adds weedy lots to its nuisance provisions, 2-07
Separate Weed Control Provisions
- Bellevue City Code Chapter 14.06 - Trees, Weeds, and Vegetation
- Edmonds Municipal Code Chapter 6.30 - Noxious Weeds
- Kent Municipal Code Chapter 8.07 - Weeds and Vegetation
- Kirkland Municipal Code Chapter 9.12 - Control of Vegetation
- Redmond Municipal, Code Chapter 6.12 - Noxious Weed Control and Tree Regulations
County Weed Control Programs
- Clark County Weed Management - Clark County
- Clark County Code Title 7 - Weed Control Code
- King County Noxious Weed Control Program - King County
- Lewis County Weed Control
- Pierce County Intregrated Vegetation Management Program (
61 KB) - NPDES Stormwater Management Program, Appendix 3
- 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 WA Code Chapter 2.27 - Noxious Weed Control Board
- Yakima County Code Chapter 6.16 - Weed Control Districts
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
- Milfoil - Stop Spreading It Around - Washington Boating Safety Officers
- King County Aquatic Plants
- Snohomish County Lake Management Program
- Thurston County Controlling Eurasian Milfoil in Long Lake
Fire Season Weed Abatement
- Chelan Municipal Code Section 8.09.030 (B) - Dried weed fire hazard
- Deer Park Municipal Code Section 8.04020 (7) - Cumulation of vegetation to create fire hazard
- Spokane Municipal Code Section 10.08.040- Fire Hazards from Vegetation
- Wenatchee Municipal Code Chapter 3.20 - Flammable Materials
- Out of State
- Ashland, Oregon Municipal Code Ch. 9.04 - Weed Abatement - Weeds considered a fire hazard in summer
- Santa Clara, California - Clear Out Dry Weeds to Eliminate Fire Hazard
Integrated Weed Control
- Integrated Pest Control, MRSC
- Integrated Weed Management, Boulder County, Colorado
- City Hires Sheep to Clear Weed Infestation (Lakewood, Colorado) American City and County, July 1, 2002
- Denver Natural Areas: Goats in the City, City-County of Denver
- The Goats Ate My Homework! (Woodinville) Northwest News, August 15, 2003
- Getting Past Pesticides: Integrated Pest Management in San Francisco, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
- Healing Hooves LLC 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 (
99 KB) Report for Grant EW01-0006, USDA SARE Program, 2003(Project was based at Washington State University)
Additional Reference Sources
- Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board
- 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
Provisions from General Nuisance Ordinances Not Available on Web
- Ellensburg Municipal Code 5.40.40 – Time for Removal – Maximum Height of Weeds. All such hazardous weeds, grass, shrubs, bushes, tress, or other vegetation on such lots, parcels, or tracts of real property within the City limits of the City of Ellensburg, including abutting parking strips, and/or the nontraveled portions of public right-of-way abutting upon private property, shall be cut and destroyed at least once each month during the months of May through September or more often if ordered by the City Manager or agent designated by him, and in no event shall any such hazardous weeds, grass, shrubs bushes, trees , or other vegetation be allowed to exceed one foot in growth height; provided further, that no such hazardous weeds, grass, shrubs, bushes, trees, or any other vegetation shall be allowed to exceed six inches in growth height with twenty feed of any building (Ord. 3493 s2, 1985) [Back to List]
- LaConner Municipal Code 7.10.020 Types of nuisances.... (11)(f) Any poison oak or poison ivy, Russian Thistle, Bull and Canadian Thistle, Evergreen and Himalayan blackberries, Tansy Ragwort and other noxious weeds, whether growing or otherwise, including, but not limited to any noxious weeds identified by the Skagit County Noxious Weed Control Board; but nothing herein shall prevent the temporary retention of such weeds in approved covered receptacles;....[Ord. 672 §§ 1, 2, 1995; Ord. 567 § 2, 1989; Ord. 536 § 2, 1986.] [Back to List]

