Saint Paul, MN Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Legislative Code § 105.04(b), (c)(5)
- Defined by
- Minn. Rules 1505.0730 (state noxious weed list)
- Named examples
- Canada thistle, leafy spurge, poison ivy, hemp
- Scope
- Boulevard plantings only, not all private property
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Safety and Inspections
- Related limit
- Boulevard plantings capped at 36 inches tall
Summary
Saint Paul bans noxious weeds from boulevard gardens under Legislative Code § 105.04, adopting the state's Minn. Rules 1505.0730 list, species like Canada thistle, leafy spurge, poison ivy, and even hemp, as plants residents may never plant or maintain in the public right-of-way strip between sidewalk and street. The Department of Safety and Inspections enforces it alongside the chapter's boulevard-gardening permit rules.
Noxious weeds shall mean the annual, biennial and perennial plants which are deemed by the commissioner of agriculture to be injurious to public health, environment, public roads, crops, livestock and other property, as set forth in Minn. Rules 1505.0730, including, but not limited to: Convolvulus arvensis (field bindweed), Cannabis sativa (hemp), Rhus radicans (poison ivy), Euphorbia esula (leafy spurge), Sonchus arvensis (perennial sow thistle), Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle), Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle), Carduus nutans (musk thistle) and Carduus acanthoides (plumeless thistle). ... Boulevard plantings may include flowers, vegetables and other plants, but in no event shall any noxious weed be planted or maintained.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 133 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
04(b) carries forward the state's regulatory definition of noxious weeds, plants the Minnesota commissioner of agriculture has designated under Minn. 0730 as injurious to public health, the environment, roads, crops, livestock, or other property. The ordinance names nine examples directly in the text: field bindweed, hemp, poison ivy, leafy spurge, perennial sow thistle, bull thistle, Canada thistle, musk thistle, and plumeless thistle, while making clear the list is illustrative, not exhaustive, of the state schedule. ' The rule sits inside a broader permitting scheme, boulevard rain gardens need registration and Department of Public Works authorization, plantings are height-capped at 36 inches (18 inches near intersections, alleys, driveways or utility fixtures), and no herbicide, pesticide, or fertilizer may be used without written city forester approval.
04(d), issuing violation notices under the Legislative Code § 45 enforcement procedure, and can independently order abatement of any planting, noxious weed or not, that becomes a nuisance or safety hazard. Because the ban lives inside the boulevard-gardening chapter rather than a citywide invasive-species ordinance, it reaches only the public right-of-way strip a resident maintains, not plantings elsewhere on private property.
Violations & Fines
There's no set fine written into § 105.04 itself; instead the Department of Safety and Inspections issues a violation notice under the Legislative Code § 45 enforcement process when an inspection finds a noxious weed planted or maintained on the boulevard, and can order the planting abated as a nuisance. Repeated or unresolved boulevard violations can also trigger removal by the city with costs assessed to the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Saint Paul ban invasive plants citywide?
Which plants count as noxious weeds under the ordinance?
Who enforces the boulevard noxious-weed ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Saint Paul
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