Clinton Township, MI Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Species banned
- 10 named weeds plus Board-designated nuisance plants
- Where it applies
- Built-out subdivisions and improved street frontages
- Cutting deadline
- Must be cut before May 1 each year
- Cost cap
- $25 per tract without Supervisor approval
- Enforcer
- Commissioner of Noxious Weeds, 2-year Board appointment
- Unpaid cost
- Becomes a lien added to the tax roll
Summary
Clinton Township outlaws ten named noxious weeds, including Canada thistle, poison ivy, poison sumac, ragweed and bindweed, on subdivided lots where 60 percent of the lots are built out and along improved street frontages. Section 694.01 also lets the Township Board add any other plant it judges a common nuisance, and a Commissioner of Noxious Weeds enforces removal before the plants go to seed.
(b) Noxious Weeds Defined. For the purposes of this section, "noxious weeds" shall include Canada thistle (Circium arvense), dodders (any species of Cuscuta), mustards (charlock, black mustard and Indian mustard, species of Brassica or Sinapis), wild carrot (Daucus carota), bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), perennial sowthistle (Sonchus arvensis), hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana), ragweed (ambrosia elatior), poison ivy (rhus toxicodendron), poison sumac (toxicodendron vernix) and other plants which, in the opinion of the Township Board, shall be regarded as a common nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-25: Local legislation current through May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
01(b) as ten specific species: Canada thistle, dodders, mustards (charlock, black and Indian mustard), wild carrot, bindweed, perennial sowthistle, hoary alyssum, ragweed and both poison ivy and poison sumac, plus any other plant the Township Board designates a common nuisance by resolution. 01(a) puts the duty to destroy these plants before they go to seed on the owner, agent or occupant of subdivided lots where 60 percent of the lots in the subdivision are built out, and on owners along improved streets in common use, for a depth of ten rods or the lot depth, whichever is less.
The Township Board appoints a Commissioner of Noxious Weeds for a two-year term to inspect for growth, publish a March newspaper notice each year warning that weeds not cut by May 1 will be cut by the Township, and act if weeds regrow past six inches during the growing season. 01(f), the Commissioner may cut the weeds and bill the owner, capped at $25 in work or materials per infested tract without the Township Supervisor's sign-off; unpaid costs become a lien collected with property taxes and deposited into the Clinton Township Noxious Weeds Control Fund.
03(d)(8) separately lists "the growth of noxious weeds or plants which are about to spread or mature seeds" among the Township's general nuisance categories, giving code enforcement a second route to act.
Violations & Fines
Failing to destroy listed noxious weeds is enforced two ways: the Commissioner of Noxious Weeds can cut the growth after the May 1 notice deadline and assess the cost, capped at $25 per tract without Township Supervisor approval, as a property tax lien under Section 694.01(f)-(g); or the Township can prosecute under the Section 694.99 penalty and the general Code penalty at Section 202.99 if no specific fine applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What plants count as noxious weeds in Clinton Township?
Who has to remove noxious weeds on their property?
What happens if I don't cut noxious weeds by the deadline?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clinton Township
Compare Clinton Township to another location·View the Michigan invasive plant rules overview
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Prohibited Species in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Macomb County handle prohibited species.