Iowa Code Chapter 317 establishes statewide noxious weed control. Landowners must cut, destroy, or otherwise control state-listed noxious weeds on their property. County weed commissioners enforce the law and may assess control costs to delinquent landowners as a property tax lien.
Chapter 317 designates primary noxious weeds (such as field bindweed, Canada thistle, leafy spurge, and perennial sow thistle) and secondary noxious weeds (including wild mustard, cocklebur, buckhorn, and quackgrass) that all Iowa landowners must control. County boards of supervisors appoint weed commissioners who issue notices, and if landowners fail to act within five days, the county may perform the work and bill the landowner. The Iowa Department of Transportation handles state highway rights-of-way. Counties may declare additional plants noxious within their borders, but the underlying duty to control state-listed weeds applies uniformly across Iowa.
Failure to control noxious weeds after notice from the weed commissioner allows the county to enter the property, cut the weeds, and assess all costs plus administrative fees against the landowner.
See how West Des Moines's weed ordinances rules stack up against other locations.
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