Penn Hills, PA Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Requirement
- Actively remove invasive vegetation where practicable
- Replacement
- Replant with native trees, shrubs, vegetation
- Applies to
- Riparian buffer easements on qualifying streams
- Species definition
- Uses PA DCNR's definition of invasive plants
- Penalty
- Up to $500 per violation, per day
Summary
Penn Hills requires invasive vegetation inside a recorded riparian buffer easement to be actively removed, whenever practicable, and replaced with native trees, shrubs, and other plants that form a diverse native plant community, under the Municipality's stormwater ordinance.
Whenever practicable, invasive vegetation shall be actively removed and the riparian buffer easement shall be planted with native trees, shrubs and other vegetation to create a diverse native plant community appropriate to the intended ecological context of the site.
(d) The riparian buffer easement shall be enforceable by the Municipality and shall be recorded in the appropriate County Recorder of Deeds office, so that it shall run with the land and shall limit the use of the property located therein. The easement shall allow for the continued private ownership and shall count toward the minimum lot area required by zoning, unless otherwise specified in the Municipal Zoning Ordinance.[1] [1] Editor's Note: See Part Twelve, Planning and Zoning Code.
(e) Any permitted use within the riparian buffer easement shall be conducted in a manner that will maintain the extent of the existing 100-year floodplain, improve or maintain the stream stability, and preserve and protect the ecological function of the floodplain.
(f) Stormwater drainage pipes shall be permitted within the riparian buffer easement, but they shall cross the easement in the shortest practical distance. Other structural stormwater management facilities are not permitted within the riparian buffer easement.
(g) The following conditions shall apply when public and/or private recreation trails are permitted by the Municipality within riparian buffers:
(1)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4434863; v5 updated 2025-07-21; through 07-21-2025).
Full Breakdown
Penn Hills' Stormwater Management Regulations require riparian buffer easements, created along streams with a watershed over 10 acres as part of a subdivision or land development plan, to have invasive vegetation actively removed wherever practicable, with the easement then planted with native trees, shrubs, and other vegetation to build a diverse native plant community fit for the site. Chapter 1058 defines an invasive species by pointing to the state DCNR's definition: a plant not native to Pennsylvania that grows aggressively and displaces native vegetation. Penn Hills keeps no separate prohibited-species list of its own.
Violations & Fines
Failing to remove invasive vegetation or replant natives in the buffer is a summary offense under § 1058.36, fined up to $500 per day, with SWM approval subject to suspension or revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Penn Hills ban specific invasive plant species?
Where does this invasive-plant removal rule apply in Penn Hills?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Penn Hills
Compare Penn Hills to another location·View the Pennsylvania invasive plant rules overview
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Prohibited Species in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Allegheny County handle prohibited species.