The MDA reviews and approves the listing and delisting of County Noxious Weeds under M.S. 18.75-18.91. When a county wishes to list a plant species as a county noxious weed, the county should submit to the MDA noxious weed program:
- A signed county board resolution approving the addition of the species to the county's noxious weed list for review by the commissioner of agriculture in consultation with the Noxious Weed Advisory Committee (NWAC) with the following stipulations:
- The resolution should include the common name and full scientific/botanical name of the plant species and a brief narrative that justifies why the county is proposing the addition of the species to the county's noxious weed list.
- The resolution must state that the county will be solely responsible for enforcement of the species per M.S. 18.771 (f).
- If the county thinks the species should be considered for listing as a noxious weed statewide, the commissioner of agriculture and the NWAC would like to know this as well, and it would be helpful to have this recommendation and a brief justification for it included in the resolution.
- Species on county noxious weed lists must be posted with the county's general weed notice by May 15 of each year.
- To facilitate timely review, county board resolutions for listing county noxious weeds should be submitted to the MDA by January 1 of the year the listing would become effective.
- MDA staff will present any new county noxious weed listings that have been proposed to the NWAC at its February/March NWAC meeting for review and comment per M.S. 18.771 (f).
- If a county wants to remove (delist) a species from the county's noxious weed list:
- The county should send a signed county resolution to the MDA stating that the species will no longer be regulated by the county as a county noxious weed.
- MDA staff will update the NWAC regarding any delisting of county noxious weeds annually at the February/March meeting.
