Douglas County’s Public Works Department wants to remind Douglas County residents about the Kansas Noxious Weed Law. It requires residents who own or supervise land to control and eradicate weeds declared noxious by state legislative action. The prominent weeds in Douglas County are: Field Bindweed, Musk Thistle, Canada Thistle, Johnsongrass and Sericea Lespedeza.

Control is defined as preventing the production of viable seed and the vegetative spread of the plant.

Failure to observe this notice may result in Douglas County:

1. Serving a legal notice requiring control of the noxious weeds within a minimum of five days. Failure to control the noxious weeds within the time period allowed may result in the county treating the noxious weeds at the landowners expense and placing a lien on the property if the bill is not paid within 30 days or,
2. Filing criminal charges for non-compliance. Conviction for non-compliance may result in a fine of $100 per day of non-compliance with a maximum fine of $1,500.

It’s also 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 free of all weed seed and litter when entering the county and when leaving a field infested with noxious weeds.

Chemical application is an important part of Noxious Weed Control program, care needs to be exercised to protect all types of crops. These crops include row crops, organic crops, sensitive crops and grassland. A list of registered crop locations can be obtained at the Public Works Department, 3755 E. 25th St.

For more information, visit: https://dgcoks.gov/depts/public-works/services/noxious-weeds-and-sensitive-crops