Florissant, MO Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Adopted by Ordinance No. 8672 on February 22, 2021, § 213.075 is a citywide ban, not just a lot-maintenance rule: it prohibits planting, cultivating and propagating any Missouri Department of Conservation-listed invasive species on public or private property alike. The named list runs twenty-nine species deep, including autumn olive, bamboo, bush honeysuckle, Callery pear, Canada thistle, Chinese yam, common buckthorn, common reed, garlic mustard, Japanese honeysuckle, Japanese knotweed, kudzu, multiflora rose, purple loosestrife, tall fescue and wintercreeper among others.

Subsection B extends the duty to remove existing infestations to any owner or lessee once notified, and it deliberately reaches beyond the lot line: where private property abuts a City right-of-way or easement and a tree lawn or grassy strip sits between the property line and the street, that strip counts as part of the private lot for cutting and removal purposes, and the owner must maintain it the same as the rest of the yard. The Building Commissioner sends notice when weeds, noxious species or dead trees are found, and the owner has thirty days to remove them, served under the Property Maintenance Code's notice procedure.

If the thirty days pass without compliance, § 213.075(C) lets the Building Commissioner enter the property, destroy the invasive vegetation using City crews or a contractor, and certify the cost to the Director of Finance for collection as a special tax bill or nuisance fee. That bill becomes a first lien on the property, bears interest at 8% per year starting thirty days after issuance, and is treated as prima facie evidence of its own validity in any later dispute.