Mount Vernon, NY Invasive Plant Rules: Bamboo Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted
- 11-13-2024, L.L. No. 7-2024
- Running bamboo
- Planting banned citywide
- Clumping bamboo permit fee
- $25
- Removal deadline after notice
- 30 days
- Required barrier depth
- 3 feet minimum
- First-violation fine
- $100 to $500
- Repeat-violation fine
- Up to $1,000
Summary
Mount Vernon bans planting running bamboo anywhere in the city and declares any running bamboo that spreads onto a neighboring lot a public nuisance with no grandfathered right to keep it. Clumping bamboo is still allowed, but only after registering and paying a $25 permit fee to the Department of Buildings under Chapter 90.
It shall be unlawful from the effective date of this chapter for an owner or tenant of property anywhere within the City of Mount Vernon to plant running bamboo into the ground, or, with respect to existing running bamboo, to cause, permit, cultivate and/or allow such bamboo to be maintained in such a manner that it migrates onto any adjoining property, including any public property and/or any City right-of-way. ... All running bamboo which migrates onto adjacent properties shall be deemed a public nuisance, and no property owner shall have any vested or nonconforming right to continue maintenance of such bamboo, even if it preexisted the adoption of this regulation.
Full Breakdown
L. No. 7-2024), Chapter 90 targets monopodial "running bamboo" genera such as Phyllostachys, Sasa and Arundinaria, which the City found destructive to foundations, driveways and neighboring yards and a mosquito-breeding hazard. Section 90-4 makes it unlawful to plant running bamboo or to let existing running bamboo migrate onto an adjoining property, public land, or a City right-of-way; any bamboo that does migrate is a public nuisance with no vested or nonconforming right to remain, even if planted before the law. Owners who keep running bamboo must, under Section 90-5, install root-barrier sheathing at least three feet deep along the property line to stop encroachment, including onto the City right-of-way.
Clumping bamboo (sympodial genera like Bambusa and Fargesia) is not banned but requires registration and a $25 permit from the Department of Buildings before any planting, replanting or reinstallation, per Section 90-4C. When bamboo is found encroaching, the Building Inspector issues a written notice of violation giving the owner or tenant 30 days to remove the bamboo, including stems and roots, disposed of per NYS DEC invasive-plant guidelines (Section 90-6).
Violations & Fines
A first violation of Chapter 90 draws a fine of $100 to $500; a second or subsequent violation for the same offense can reach $1,000, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense under Section 90-7B. A property owner hit with a second violation after a neighbor-encroachment notice must remove all bamboo on both their own and the affected adjoining property. The Building Inspector can excuse involuntary delays, such as weather or a removal contractor's schedule, from the violation count if the owner is making good-faith removal efforts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is all bamboo banned in Mount Vernon?
What happens if my neighbor's bamboo grows onto my property?
How deep does a bamboo root barrier need to be in Mount Vernon?
What are the fines for not removing running bamboo?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mount Vernon
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