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Virginia: invasive & noxious plant laws
Virginia has two separate lists. The legal one is the VDACS noxious-weed regulation, 2VAC5-317-20, adopted under the Noxious Weeds Law (Va. Code § 3.2-800 et seq.): it names Tier 1, 2 and 3 noxious weeds, which may not be sold or moved in Virginia except under a VDACS permit. The DCR Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (2024) is educational only: it ranks plants High/Medium/Low but does not ban them. Separately, Va. Code § 15.2-901.1 lets cities and counties require containment of running bamboo.
Official sources
Check a plant against these lists for your Virginia ZIP →
Tier 1 noxious weed — eradication required; sale and movement prohibited (3)
| Scientific name | Common name / notes |
|---|
| Salvinia molesta | Giant salvinia |
| Solanum viarum | Tropical soda apple |
| Heracleum mantegazzianum | Giant hogweed |
Tier 2 noxious weed — sale and movement prohibited (7)
| Scientific name | Common name / notes |
|---|
| Imperata cylindrica | Cogon grass |
| Lythrum salicaria | Purple loosestrife |
| Ipomoea aquatica | Water spinach |
| Vitex rotundifolia | Beach vitex |
| Oplismenus hirtellus spp. undulatifolius | Wavyleaf basketgrass |
| Corydalis incisa | Incised fumewort |
| Trapa bispinosa | Two-horned trapa |
Tier 3 noxious weed — sale and movement prohibited; control not required (16)
| Scientific name | Common name / notes |
|---|
| Ailanthus altissima | Tree of heaven |
| Ampelopsis brevipedunculata | Porcelain berry |
| Celastrus orbiculatus | Oriental bittersweet |
| Hydrilla verticillata | Hydrilla |
| Persicaria perfoliata | Mile-a-minute weed |
| Alliaria petiolata | Garlic mustard |
| Dioscorea polystachya | Chinese yam |
| Elaeagnus umbellata | Autumn olive |
| Ficaria verna | Lesser celandine |
| Lespedeza bicolor | Bicolor lespedeza |
| Lonicera maackii | Amur honeysuckle |
| Lonicera japonica | Japanese honeysuckle |
| Phragmites australis | Common reed |
| Pueraria montana | Kudzu |
| Reynoutria japonica | Japanese knotweed |
| Ulmus pumila | Siberian elm |
DCR invasive — High (educational, not a legal ban) (44)
| Scientific name | Common name / notes |
|---|
| Ailanthus altissima | Tree-of-heaven |
| Aldrovanda vesiculosa* | Waterwheel |
| Alliaria petiolata | Garlic Mustard |
| Alternanthera philoxeroides | Alligator-weed |
| Ampelopsis glandulosa | Porcelain-berry |
| Arum italicum* | Italian arum |
| Carex kobomugi | Japanese Sand Sedge |
| Celastrus orbiculatus | Oriental Bittersweet |
| Centaurea stoebe ssp. micranthos | Spotted Knapweed |
| Cirsium arvense | Canada Thistle |
| Citrus trifoliata | Trifoliate orange |
| Dioscorea polystachya | Cinnamon Vine |
| Elaeagnus umbellata | Autumn Olive |
| Euonymus alatus | Winged Euonymus |
| Ficaria verna | Lesser Celandine |
| Hydrilla verticillata | Hydrilla |
| Imperata cylindrica* | Cogon Grass |
| Iris pseudacorus | Yellow Flag |
| Lespedeza cuneata | Sericea Lespedeza |
| Ligustrum sinense | Chinese Privet |
| Lonicera japonica | Japanese Honeysuckle |
| Lonicera maackii | Amur Honeysuckle |
| Lonicera morrowii | Morrow's Honeysuckle |
| Ludwigia hexapetala* | Large flower primrose willow |
| Ludwigia peploides var. glabrescens* | Floating primrose-willow |
| Lythrum salicaria | Purple Loosestrife |
| Microstegium vimineum | Japanese Stiltgrass |
| Murdannia keisak | Marsh dewflower |
| Myriophyllum aquaticum | Parrot Feather |
| Myriophyllum spicatum | Eurasian Water-milfoil |
| Oplismenus undulatifolius | Wavyleaf Grass |
| Oshuna crassipes* | Water Hyacinth |
| Persicaria perfoliata | Mile-a-minute |
| Phragmites australis ssp. australis | Common Reed |
| Pueraria montana var. lobata | Kudzu |
| Reynoutria japonica var. japonica | Japanese knotweed |
| Rosa multiflora | Multiflora Rose |
| Rubus phoenicolasius | Wineberry |
| Sorghum halepense | Johnson Grass |
| Trapa bispinosa var. iinumai* | Two-horned trapa |
| Triadica sebifera* | Chinese tallow-tree |
| Tripidium ravennae* | Ravenna grass |
| Urtica dioica | European Stinging Nettle |
| Vitex rotundifolia | Beach Vitex |
DCR invasive — Medium (educational, not a legal ban) (41)
| Scientific name | Common name / notes |
|---|
| Acetosa acetosella | Sheep sorrel |
| Acer platanoides | Norway Maple |
| Agrostis capillaris | Colonial bent-grass |
| Akebia quinata | Five-leaf Akebia |
| Albizia julibrissin | Mimosa |
| Arthraxon hispidus var. hispidus | Joint Head Grass |
| Berberis thunbergii | Japanese Barberry |
| Cenchrus purpurascens* | Fountain grass |
| Cirsium vulgare | Bull Thistle |
| Clematis terniflora | Sweet autumn clematis |
| Corydalis incisa* | Incised fumewort |
| Dipsacus fullonum | Wild Teasel |
| Egeria densa | Brazilian Waterweed |
| Euonymus fortunei | Winter Creeper |
| Glechoma hederacea | Gill-over-the-ground |
| Hedera helix | English ivy |
| Heracleum mantegazzianum* | Giant Hogweed |
| Holcus lanatus | Common Velvet Grass |
| Humulus japonicus | Japanese Hops |
| Ipomoea aquatica* | Water spinach |
| Ligustrum obtusifolium var. obtusifolium | Border privet |
| Lonicera tatarica | Tartarian Honeysuckle |
| Lysimachia nummularia | Moneywort |
| Mahonia bealei* | leatherleaf mahonia |
| Miscanthus sinensis | Chinese Silvergrass |
| Najas minor | Brittle Naiad |
| Paulownia tomentosa | Royal Paulowina |
| Persicaria longiseta | Long-bristled Smartweed |
| Phyllostachys aurea | Golden Bamboo |
| Poa compressa | Flat-stemmed Bluegrass |
| Poa trivialis ssp. trivialis | Rough Bluegrass |
| Potamogeton crispus | Curled pondweed |
| Pyrus calleryana | Callery Pear |
| Rhodotypos scandens | Jetbead |
| Salvinia molesta* | Giant Salvinia |
| Solanum viarum* | Tropical Soda Apple |
| Spiraea japonica | Japanese Spiraea |
| Stellaria media | Common Chickweed |
| Veronica hederifolia | Ivy-leaved Speedwell |
| Viburnum dilatatum | Linden arrow-wood |
| Wisteria sinensis | Chinese Wisteria |
DCR invasive — Low (educational, not a legal ban) (18)
| Scientific name | Common name / notes |
|---|
| Buddleja davidii* | Orange-eye butterfly-bush |
| Commelina communis | Asiatic Dayflower |
| Elaeagnus pungens | Thorny Olive |
| Lespedeza bicolor | Shrubby Bushclover |
| Lonicera fragrantissima | Winter Honeysuckle |
| Melia azedarach | Chinaberry |
| Morus alba | White Mulberry |
| Nandina domestica | Nandina |
| Perilla frutescens | Beefsteak Plant |
| Phleum pratense | Timothy |
| Populus alba | Silver Poplar |
| Rumex crispus ssp. crispus | Curly dock |
| Securigera varia | Crown-vetch |
| Trapa natans | European Water Chestnut |
| Ulmus pumila | Siberian Elm |
| Vinca major | Greater Periwinkle |
| Vinca minor | Periwinkle |
| Wisteria floribunda | Japanese Wisteria |
Running bamboo
Virginia does not ban bamboo statewide. Va. Code §15.2-901.1 (2017) lets any locality adopt an ordinance requiring running bamboo (defined as bamboo with aggressive spreading behavior, including the genus Phyllostachys) to be contained (barriers/trenching) and kept from spreading to public rights-of-way or neighboring property. Civil penalties: up to $50 first violation, up to $200 subsequent violations within 12 months, max $3,000 per 12 months for one set of facts. §15.2-901 also lets localities require cutting of running bamboo with other overgrowth. None of the bamboos listed here are on the 2VAC5-317 noxious weed tiers; only Phyllostachys aurea appears on the DCR 2024 invasive list (Medium).
Informational only, not legal advice. Lists change; always check the official source linked above before you buy, sell, plant or move a plant. Lists checked 2026-10-14.
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