Hamilton, NJ Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Hamilton Code § 362-1A(3) directs every owner, tenant or person in possession of land in the Township to control the growth of invasive plants, and specifically states that failing to control the spread of invasive plants beyond the boundaries of a resident's property is itself a violation of the article. Subsection B defines "invasive plants" broadly, as all native and nonnative vines and vegetation that grow out of place and are competitive, persistent and pernicious, capable of damaging trees, other vegetation or structures; the Code lists bamboo of the spreading or running type, ragweed, multiflora rose, kudzu vine, and poison ivy or oak as examples, while noting the list is not exhaustive.

This sits inside the same Article I, Brush, Weeds and Trash, that gives Hamilton's enforcement officer authority under § 362-2 to order an owner to remove invasive plants and other overgrowth within 10 business days after written notice, or to have the Department of Public Works remove it and certify the cost as a tax lien under §§ 362-3 and 362-4. The provision was adopted whole on September 17, 2013 by Ordinance No. 13-030, replacing the former brush-and-weeds article from the Township's 1994 Code.