Warren, MI Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Sec. 61, overgrowth (grass over six inches or plants that encroach on public easements or create safety hazards), and any species the urban forestry committee places on its prohibited species list under sections 38-22 et seq. Sec. 21-48 makes it unlawful for a responsible party, defined broadly to cover owners, operators, and occupants, to cause or allow the growth or accumulation of these plants on a premises. The city enforces the ban through a seasonal notice-and-abatement process rather than immediate citations. Each March the city publishes a newspaper notice warning that any noxious weeds not cut by May 1 will be removed at the responsible party's expense.

For an individual violation, Sec. 21-49 requires the city to post a notice on the property (and mail it for rubbish violations) describing the violation and a contact for questions, then wait twenty-four hours for weed violations or ten days for rubbish violations before its crews or a contractor can remove the growth. 64. Owners who dispute the charge have twenty-one days from the assessment notice to file a written appeal with the public service director explaining why they are not responsible. Sec. 21-50 makes every violation a strict liability offense, so intent is irrelevant, and Sec. 8727. Planned natural landscaping areas registered under Sec. 38-24 are exempt from the six-inch grass limit but must still avoid prohibited invasive species.