What you should know
The Kansas Noxious Weed Law, K.S.A. 2-1314 requires all persons who own or supervise land in Kansas to control and eradicate all weeds declared noxious by legislative action.
Control is defined as preventing the production of viable seed and the vegetative spread of the plant.
Failure to observe this law may result in the county serving a legal notice requiring the control of the weeds within a minimum of five days.
Failure to control said weeds within the time period allowed may result in the county treating the weeds at the landowners’ expense and placing a lien on the property if the bill is not paid within 30 days.
Criminal charges of non-compliance may also be filed against the landowner, which may result in fines of $100 per day with a maximum fine of $1500.
What are noxious weeds
Noxious weeds are any plant species that has been designated by state or national authorities as injurious to agricultural, horticultural crops, humans and livestock.
The Board of County Commissioners of Stafford County have declared the following as noxious weeds in Stafford County; field bindweed, musk thistle, sericea lespedeza, johnson grass, bur ragweed, canada thistle, leafy spurge, hoary cress, quack grass, russian knapweed, kudzu and pignut.
What you can do
Residents inside the city limits who are not able to deal with eradication of the weeds should contact one of the professional lawn care services for assistance.
County residents who cannot resolve the problem can contact Ryan Witt at the Stafford County Noxious Weed department for assistance.
What ranchers and harvesters should know
It is a violation of the Kansas Noxious Weed Law to barter, sell or give away infested nursery stock or livestock feed unless the feed is fed on the farm where grown or sold to a commercial processor that will destroy the viability of the noxious weed seed.
Custom harvesting machines must be labeled with a label provided by the Kansas Dept. of Agriculture and must be free of all weed seed and litter when entering the State and when leaving a field infested with noxious weeds.
Additional information
Additional information may be obtained from the Stafford County Noxious Weed Department at 62-549-3594, or by contacting the Kansas Dept. of Agriculture, 109 S.W. 9th, Topeka, KS 66612
