Longmont, CO Invasive Plant Rules: Bamboo Restrictions (2026)

A review of Longmont Municipal Code Chapter 9.32 (Weed Control, in Title 9 — Health & Sanitation), the Colorado Noxious Weed Act species list maintained by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and Longmont's Integrated Weed Management Plan (Final, May 2016) returns no bamboo-specific provision. Colorado's Noxious Weed list (List A: eradicate, List B: stop spread, List C: locally significant) listed 145 species in its 2017 update — none are bamboo (Phyllostachys, Bambusa, or other genera). Longmont's Chapter 9.32 'Weed Control' (§§ 9.32.020-9.32.040, including § 9.32.040 'Hearing') applies the Colorado Noxious Weed Act's eradication standard to private property within city limits; the city can hear and order abatement of listed noxious weeds but does not currently include bamboo. Running (spreading) bamboo on a residential lot is therefore a private civil matter (HOA covenants, common-law nuisance) unless it grows tall/dense enough to violate the city's general nuisance vegetation provision under LMC § 9.04.100 (offensive premises — junk, trash, and overgrown vegetation). Residents should give written notice to a neighbor before bamboo encroaches, and install a 24-30 inch deep root barrier when planting any running variety. Boulder County Extension recommends clumping bamboo (Fargesia) over running types in Colorado.