Shawnee County, KS Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

A. 2-1314(a) makes it "the duty of persons to control the spread of and to eradicate all species of plants declared to be noxious weeds on all lands owned or supervised by them," using official control methods approved by the secretary of agriculture. Subsection (b) names the twelve weeds: kudzu, field bindweed, Russian knapweed, hoary cress, Canada thistle, quackgrass, leafy spurge, bur ragweed, pignut, musk (nodding) thistle, Johnson grass, and sericea lespedeza; subsection (d) also lets the Shawnee County Board of Commissioners add locally troublesome species to a county-specific noxious weed list with the secretary's approval.

A. 2-1330 gives county weed supervisors and other authorized officials a right of entry onto property to inspect for infestation, provided they attempt to notify the owner and let them accompany the inspection. A. 2-1331 requires the weed supervisor to notify a landowner of any infestation found, either by general newspaper publication or an official mailed notice, specifying a treatment deadline; if inspection later shows unsatisfactory progress, a legal notice by certified mail follows. A. 2-1332 requires an itemized bill to the owner that includes a 10 percent penalty charge, interest at the state's delinquent-tax rate, and, if unpaid within 30 days, a lien recorded against the property and collected like other property taxes; the board of county commissioners may also negotiate a payment plan.

A. 2-1321: file a protest with the board of county commissioners within ten days of the billing notice, and if still dissatisfied, file a written notice of appeal with the district court clerk within thirty days of the board's decision, triggering a docketed court case.