Nassau County, NY Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs
- Penalty, sale or transplant
- $100–$1,000 per plant
- Penalty, dumping or variance breach
- $10–$25 per plant
- Law effective
- January 1, 2008
- List size
- 80+ invasive plant species
Summary
Nassau County bans selling, transporting, propagating, or transplanting more than 80 listed invasive plant species, and separately bars dumping any of them into county waterways or wetlands.
(b) No person shall knowingly collect, transport, sell, distribute, propagate or transplant any living and viable portion of any plant, or the compost, mulch, soil, or other materials containing seeds or other viable parts of any such plant, included in the Nassau County prohibited invasive plant species list as follows:
Scientific Name Acer platanoides) Acer pseudoplatanus Alliaria petiolata Ameplopsis brevipedunculata Anthriscus sylvestris Aralia elata Artemisia vulgaris
Common Name Norway maple, Sycamore maple Garlic mustard Porcelain berry Wild chervil Japanese angelica tree Mugwort, common wormwood
Effective Date 1/1/2013 (except cultivars 'crimson king', 'royal red' which are banned effective 1/1/2016) 1/1/2013 1/1/2009 1/1/2009 1/1/2009 1/1/2009 1/1/2009
Arthraxon hispidus Berberis thunbergii (includes all hybrids with other Berberis species)
Brachypodium sylaticum Cabomba caroliniana Cardamine impatiens Celastrus orbiculatus
Arthraxon Japanese barberry [slender] False brome Carolina fanwort Narrowleaf bittercress Oriental bittersweet
1/1/2012 1/1/2014 1/1/2012 1/1/2009 1/1/2009 1/1/2009
108There are two sections 21-24.2
538 January 1, 2026
XXI. MISCELLANEOUS OFFICERS
Centaurea stoebe ssp. micranthos s.l. (C. biebersteinii, C. diffusa, C. maculosa misapplied, C. xpsammogena)
Spotted knapweed, spotted starthistle
Cirsium arvense Clematis terniflora Cynanchum louiseae (C. nigrum, Vincetoxicum nigrum)
Full Breakdown
The county's invasive species law (Title D-15) makes it illegal to introduce a prohibited plant into any river, stream, lake, pond, wetland, or storm water drain, and separately bars anyone from knowingly collecting, transporting, selling, distributing, propagating, or transplanting a living, viable portion of any species on Nassau County's prohibited invasive plant species list: dozens of common landscape plants such as Japanese knotweed, Norway maple, and purple loosestrife, banned on staggered effective dates from 2009 onward. The Office of Consumer Affairs enforces the law and can grant written variances for scientific or educational work.
Violations & Fines
First offense draws a warning. Repeat citations for illegal dumping or variance breaches run $10 to $25 per plant; selling, transporting, or transplanting a banned species costs $100 to $1,000 per plant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep invasive plants already growing on my property?
Who enforces Nassau County's invasive plant law?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nassau County
New York rules heatmap·Compare Nassau County to another location·View the New York invasive plant rules overview
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