Invasive Plant Rules in Pennsylvania (2026)
23 rules on the books across Pennsylvania, 19 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Bamboo Restrictions
Rules about planting running bamboo near property lines, containment requirements, removal obligations, and fines for bamboo that spreads to neighboring properties.
Abington
Heavy RestrictionsAbington Township prohibits planting or growing running bamboo townshipwide, requiring existing bamboo be trimmed back…
Read full rule →Allentown
Heavy RestrictionsPlanting, growing or maintaining running bamboo anywhere in Allentown is prohibited unless it predates the 2017…
Read full rule →Haverford
Heavy RestrictionsIn Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Article V of Chapter 138 prohibits planting or growing bamboo…
Read full rule →Bethlehem
Significant RestrictionsBethlehem makes planting, growing or allowing running bamboo a summary offense unless the owner proves it predates…
Read full rule →Franklin Township
Significant RestrictionsIn Franklin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, running bamboo (Phyllostachys and Pseudosasa genera) cannot be…
Read full rule →Lower Merion
Significant RestrictionsLower Merion treats running bamboo as a nuisance plant under Chapter 59 of its Township Code and bars new plantings…
Read full rule →Upper Darby
Significant RestrictionsUpper Darby's Property Maintenance Code bars anyone from planting, cultivating, or letting bamboo grow directly in the…
Read full rule →Bristol Township
Some RestrictionsIn Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, growing bamboo in a way that lets it spread onto a neighbor's property is a declared…
Read full rule →Prohibited Species
Plants that are banned or regulated in your area, including Japanese knotweed, kudzu, purple loosestrife, and other species that threaten native ecosystems.
Reading
Significant RestrictionsReading bans distributing, cultivating or propagating any invasive plant or noxious weed listed by the state, and makes…
Read full rule →Allegheny County
Some RestrictionsNew subdivisions and land developments in Allegheny County cannot use any plant on the Pennsylvania DCNR 'Invasive…
Read full rule →Allentown
Some RestrictionsAny landscaping the City's zoning code requires, from street trees to buffer plantings, must skip invasive or…
Read full rule →Bristol
Some RestrictionsIn Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, plant material on a subdivision or land development landscape plan cannot be…
Read full rule →Millcreek
Some RestrictionsIn Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, no tree on the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources…
Read full rule →Penn Hills
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills requires invasive vegetation inside a recorded riparian buffer easement to be actively removed, whenever…
Read full rule →Philadelphia
Some RestrictionsPhiladelphia's Health Code lets the Department of Public Health order removal of noxious plants such as ragweed or…
Read full rule →Pittsburgh
Some RestrictionsPittsburgh bans DCNR-listed invasive plant species from registered Managed Natural Landscapes citywide, and the city…
Read full rule →Pottstown
Some RestrictionsPottstown's property maintenance code bans noxious weeds on every premises borough-wide, while its zoning code exempts…
Read full rule →Scranton
Some RestrictionsAny landscaping plan Scranton requires for a site or land-development project has to skip species the Pennsylvania…
Read full rule →Lower Paxton
Light RestrictionsLower Paxton Township does not publish a list of banned plant species. Its landscaping standards require that all…
Read full rule →Front Yard Gardens
Whether your city allows vegetable gardens, wildflower meadows, or native plant landscapes in the front yard, including any height limits or appearance standards.
Pittsburgh
Significant RestrictionsPittsburgh allows front-yard native, rain, and pollinator gardens under Code § 609.08, but registration is required and…
Read full rule →Harrisburg
Light RestrictionsIn the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the weed definition in § 3-363.1 states that tall grass and weeds do not…
Read full rule →Tree-of-Heaven Removal
Rules requiring removal of Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven), the invasive species that hosts spotted lanternfly, including state programs and city-level mandates.
Philadelphia
Heavy RestrictionsPennsylvania Department of Agriculture maintains a Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine covering Philadelphia County under 7…
Read full rule →Scranton
Some RestrictionsScranton's subdivision code bans Ailanthus altissima, the tree of heaven, from every street right-of-way planted under…
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