Coon Rapids, MN Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

City Code § 8-502(11), adopted by Ordinance No. 2335 on November 18, 2025, defines Weeds for purposes of the vegetation chapter in two parts: first, Noxious weeds as designated under the Minnesota Noxious Weed Law, Minn. Stat. §§ 18.76 to 18.91; and second, volunteer plants including, but not limited to, garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa), and burdock (Arctium minus), plus any other plants the Landscape Manager designates. Dandelions and clover are expressly carved out and are not treated as Weeds. Section 8-503(1) then makes it both a misdemeanor and a nuisance to grow or allow the growth of Noxious weeds on any land within the City, with no exception for location, unlike the general eight-inch height rule in § 8-503(2), which only applies near occupied buildings, sight triangles and rights-of-way.

Because the noxious-weed ban in § 8-503(1) is citywide and species-specific rather than height-based, it reaches an invasive plant like garlic mustard or spotted knapweed growing in a natural area or backyard corner that the general height limit might otherwise exempt under § 8-504. The Landscape Manager, the City Manager or a designee, enforces this ban through the same administrative citation process set out in § 8-506 and Chapter 2-1100, culminating in City abatement and cost recovery from the property owner if the invasive growth is not removed.