{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-176.051","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 176.051","heading":"Department  to eradicate noxious weeds  and invasive plants on","body":"rights-of-way -- Advertisement of program -- Administrative regulations.\n(1) The Department of Highways shall keep all state rights-of-way free of all of the\nfollowing, which are noxious weeds and invasive plants:\n(a) The species of grass, Sorghum halepense, commonly known as Johnson\ngrass;\n(b) The species of weed commonly known as giant foxtail;\n(c) The  thistles Cirsium arvense and Carduus nutans, commonly  known as\nCanada  thistles and nodding thistles, respectively;\n(d) Multiflora rose;\n(e) Kudzu;\n(f) Poison hemlock;\n(g) Marestail;\n(h) Amur  honeysuckle;\n(i) Japanese knotweed; and\n(j) Common  teasel.\n(2) Upon  written request, the department shall give priority to and shall cooperate\nwith any abutting property owner engaged  in a program of eradication by\neradicating the noxious weeds and invasive plants identified in subsection (1)\nof this section, or in administrative regulations promulgated pursuant to\nsubsection (4) of this section, from  abutting state rights-of-way. The\ndepartment shall take steps to eradicate this grass and these weeds or thistles\nby  the use of chemicals or any other means  found to be effective by the\ndepartment.\n(3) The Department of Highways shall inform property owners of the availability of\nthe eradication program. In carrying out this responsibility the department shall,\nno later than the first week in March of every year, advertise in each county,\npursuant to the provisions of KRS  Chapter 424 that the program is available.\nThe  department shall stipulate in the advertisement the place and manner in\nwhich an interested property owner may make a written request for inclusion in\nthe program. The department shall also promote awareness of the availability\nof the eradication program through the use of electronic media and the\nCooperative Extension Service.\n(4) (a) The  Department of Highways  may  by administrative regulation add\nnoxious weeds  and invasive plants to or delete them from the list of\nnoxious weeds and invasive plants enumerated in subsection (1) of this\nsection. In making a determination regarding a noxious weed or invasive\nplant, the department may consider the following:\n1. The plant's ability to directly or indirectly injure or cause damage  to\ncrops, livestock, poultry, or other interests of agriculture;\n2. The plant's impact on the public health;\n3. The plant's impact on the environment; and\n4. The  level of difficulty associated with controlling or eradicating the\nplant.\n(b) The  department shall review this administrative regulation at least once\nevery four (4) years.\n(c) For purposes of this subsection, \"livestock\" means  cattle, sheep, swine,\ngoats, horses, alpacas, llamas, buffaloes, and any other animals of the\nbovine, ovine, porcine, caprine, equine, or camelid species.","path":["KRS Chapter 176"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=46641","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:26Z","sha256":"33d2963b1dac7bd91de8ddedf9220fc7e7d7a73a030ff5fd332351d556c8fcbc","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-176.050","next":"us-ky/krs-176.052"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}