Bowie, MD Invasive Plant Rules: Bamboo Restrictions (2026)

City Code § 5-7B(1) defines 'invasive bamboo' as bamboo characterized by aggressive spreading behavior, including species in the genus Phyllostachys, the running bamboo most commonly planted for privacy screens. As of the effective date of Ordinance No. O-7-25, thirty days after its August 4, 2025 enactment, planting invasive bamboo anywhere in the City of Bowie is prohibited outright, with no permit path around the ban. Bamboo already growing in the City on that date is grandfathered but not left unregulated: the owner must properly maintain it and install containment measures, specifically barriers and trenches, sufficient to keep the stand from spreading onto adjoining property or into a public right-of-way.

Bamboo overgrowth counts as unlawful 'overgrowth' under § 5-7B(1)(d)[6] the moment it spreads from its origin property onto a neighbor's land or the right-of-way, on top of the general overgrowth triggers such as blocking pedestrian sightlines, hiding address numerals, blocking an escape route, or damaging a structure. A citation for spreading bamboo requires an affidavit from the affected owner or occupant attesting that the bamboo grew onto their property from the adjoining lot, so enforcement runs on a neighbor's sworn complaint rather than a routine inspection.

The requirements do not apply in vegetated wetlands, banks of detention ponds, streams or other water bodies, banks of drainage easements, active development sites before a certificate of occupancy issues, or City-owned land otherwise required to be vegetated under county zoning, landscape, subdivision or stormwater rules.