Anchorage, AK Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Fine
- $250 per violation
- Species banned
- 20 listed plants
- Includes
- 3 knotweed species
- State catch-all
- 11 AAC 34.020(a)
- Exception
- Destruction, removal, or research use
- List review
- Every five years if not updated
Summary
Anchorage bars selling, giving, trading, or transporting for planting any propagative part of 20 listed invasive plants and noxious weeds, from bird cherry trees to Japanese knotweed, with a $250 fine per violation.
Except as permitted under this section, it is unlawful for any person to sell, offer for sale, expose for sale, give, trade, or transport for use in planting any propagative part of any of the following species:
1. Bird Cherry or Mayday Trees (Prunus padus).
2. Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea).
3. Itadori or Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica).
4. Giant Knotweed (Fallopia sachalinensis).
5. Bohemian Knotweed (Fallopia x bohemica).
6. Himalayan Knotweed (Persicaria wallichii).
7. Siberian Peashrub (Caragana arborescens).
8. Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana).
9. Spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe).
10. Meadow hawkweed (Hieracium caespitosum).
11. White sweet clover (Melilotus albus).
12. Yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis).
13. Bird vetch (Vicia cracca L. ssp. cracca).
14. Butter-and-eggs (Linaria vulgaris).
15. Rampion bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides).
16. Mouse ear hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella).
17. Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare).
18. Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens).
19. All species listed in Alaska Administrative Code 11 AAC 34.020(a).
20. All plant species quarantined from entry to Alaska by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.
B. Exceptions. The prohibited species in subsection A may be transferred or transported for purposes of destruction, removal from the municipality, or government approved scientific purposes.
C.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5010260; v11 updated 2026-09-01).
Full Breakdown
010 targets the movement of plants rather than their mere presence in a yard: what is unlawful is to sell, offer for sale, expose for sale, give, trade, or transport for use in planting any propagative part of a listed species. Because giving and trading are covered alongside selling, handing cuttings over a fence is treated the same as a nursery sale. The list runs 20 entries, opening with bird cherry or Mayday trees (Prunus padus) and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) and including itadori or Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), which is among the list's three knotweed species, along with spotted knapweed.
020(a), the state's noxious weed list, and every plant species quarantined from entry to Alaska by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, so Anchorage's ban tracks state action automatically. Movement stays legal when the purpose is destruction, removal from the municipality, or approved research, which keeps eradication and disposal work lawful. If the list has not been updated, the department must revisit it every five years.
Violations & Fines
Selling, giving, trading, or transporting a listed species for planting draws a $250 fine per violation under AMC 15.90.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still dig out and dispose of Japanese knotweed on my Anchorage property?
Does the ban cover giving plants away for free?
What is the penalty for selling a banned plant in Anchorage?
Which plants are on the list?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Anchorage
Compare Anchorage to another location·View the Alaska invasive plant rules overview
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