Dutchess County, NY Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

6 NYCRR Part 575, effective March 10, 2015 and amended 2020, establishes two tiers: 'prohibited' species (sale/transport/introduction banned) and 'regulated' species (sale allowed with labeling; introduction to wild prohibited). Prohibited plants common in Dutchess include Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), mile-a-minute vine (Persicaria perfoliata), Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), and purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). Violation: civil penalty up to $250 first offense, $500 subsequent; plus mandatory removal. Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess (2715 Route 44, Millbrook, 845-677-8223) operates a native plant program and annual plant sale. Hudsonia Ltd. (Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson) provides ecological consultations. Dutchess Land Conservancy and Scenic Hudson support native restoration grants. NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program encourages riparian native plantings along the Hudson and tributaries (Wappinger Creek, Fishkill Creek, Fall Kill). HOAs may restrict plant types via covenants; NY has no 'right to garden' statute preempting HOAs on native plants. Local tree removal codes (varies by town) may require replacement with native species.