Invasive Plant Rules in James City County, VA (2026)
2 rules for unincorporated James City County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Bamboo Restrictions
James City County Code § 10-4(b) does not ban planting running bamboo, but it makes every property owner responsible for cutting it back, along with grass and weeds, as often as needed to stop insects, reptiles and rodents from breeding there. The duty covers platted subdivisions and land zoned residential, business, commercial or industrial; actively farmed land is exempt.
James City County Running Bamboo Cutting Duty
Some RestrictionsJames City County Code § 10-4(b)
(b)It shall be the duty of each owner of any occupied or vacant developed or undeveloped property, including such property upon which buildings or other improvements are located, within platted subdivisions and areas zoned for residential, business, commercial, or industrial use, to provide for the cutting of grass, weeds, running bamboo, and other foreign growth as often as needed to prevent b...
Prohibited Species
James City County's Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance defines 'noxious weeds' by pointing to the state's own list, the Virginia Invasive Plant Species List, and names Johnson grass, kudzu and multiflora rose as examples. Inside the required 100-foot vegetated buffer along the county's streams and shorelines, the ordinance both allows removal of noxious weeds with the manager's approval and requires buffer plans to keep them from spreading.
Noxious Weeds and Invasive Plants in James City County
Some RestrictionsJames City County Code §§ 23-3, 23-7(c)(3)a
Noxious weeds. A complete list is provided from the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage publication entitled Virginia Invasive Plant Species List. As defined in Va. Code § 3.2-800, any living plant, or part thereof, declared by the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services through regulations to be detrimental to crops, surface waters, including lakes, or ot...
All James City County ordinances
See every category we cover for James City County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
James City County Ordinance Hub →