66.0407 Noxious weeds.

(1) In this section:

(a) “Destroy" means the complete killing of weeds or the killing of weed plants above the surface of the ground by the use of chemicals, cutting, tillage, cropping system, pasturing livestock, or any or all of these in effective combination, at a time and in a manner as will effectually prevent the weed plants from maturing to the bloom or flower stage.

(b) “Noxious weed" means Canada thistle, leafy spurge, field bindweed, any weed designated as a noxious weed by the department of natural resources by rule, and any other weed the governing body of any municipality or the county board of any county by ordinance or resolution declares to be noxious within its respective boundaries.

(3) A person owning, occupying or controlling land shall destroy all noxious weeds on the land. The person having immediate charge of any public lands shall destroy all noxious weeds on the lands. The highway patrolman on all federal, state or county trunk highways shall destroy all noxious weeds on that portion of the highway which that highway patrolman patrols. The town board is responsible for the destruction of all noxious weeds on the town highways.

(4) The chairperson of each town, the president of each village and the mayor or manager of each city may annually on or before May 15 publish a class 2 notice, under ch. 985, that every person is required by law to destroy all noxious weeds, as defined in this section, on lands in the municipality which the person owns, occupies or controls. A town, village or city which has designated as its official newspaper or which uses for its official notices the same newspaper as any other town, village or city may publish the notice under this subsection in combination with the other town, village or city.

(5) This section does not apply to Canada thistle or annual noxious weeds that are located on land that the department of natural resources owns, occupies or controls and that is maintained in whole or in part as habitat for wild birds by the department of natural resources.

History: 1975 c. 394 s. 12; 1975 c. 421; Stats. 1975 s. 66.96; 1983 a. 112, 189; 1989 a. 56 s. 258; 1991 a. 39, 316; 1997 a. 287; 1999 a. 150 ss. 617 to 619; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0407; 2009 a. 55.