Supervisors set fines for invasive bamboo
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance March 22 by a 10-0 vote prohibiting property owners from allowing running bamboo to spread to adjacent yards.
The supervisors approved one major change from the draft ordinance: They reduced the maximum yearly penalty from $3,000 to $2,000.
Some members of the board, however, questioned whether that would encourage homeowners to pay the fine rather than spend more money to contain and eliminate the bamboo. Running bamboo spreads aggressively, and removing it is difficult and costly.
The supervisors also agreed to have the ordinance take effect Jan. 1, 2023, to give the county more time to educate the public.
If the Department of Code Compliance (DCC) receives a complaint about bamboo invading someone’s property, staff would first aim for voluntary compliance. If that doesn’t work, the county could issue a notice of violation and take the property owner to court.
Related story: Supervisors defer decision on bamboo
The court could then set a fine of up to $50 a day until the bamboo is contained. If there’s another “set of operable facts” – if the bamboo encroaches on an additional yard, for example – the court could set a fine of $200 a day.
“The focus will be on outreach and education,” DCC Director Jack Weyant told the board. After receiving a complaint, code inspectors would talk to the property owner and offer recommendations on the best ways to get rid of bamboo.
County staff would visit the property 30 days later to see if the owner made an effort to contain it, then would probably revisit the owner two weeks later, Weyant said. Taking the owner to court would be the last resort.
If it’s a rental property, it would be up to the owner to take out the bamboo, not the tenant – unless the lease gives the tenant responsibility.
One way to remove running bamboo is to dig a trench and install a metal containment barrier to prevent the underground rhizomes from spreading.
Related story: Board considers curbing bamboo
Weyant said another way to curb bamboo is to cut it down, keep it mowed, and use an herbicide to slow its growth. That would have to be done repeatedly.
Several supervisors raised questions about whether the county government and Park Authority would be required to remove bamboo from their properties. Yes, Weyant said, but public agencies aren’t likely to be fined. “We’ll work with them until they comply.”
The supervisors agreed that the county needs to put out information online and in print in multiple formats to educate the public about the bamboo ordinance.
Several board members said Virginia should ban the sale of running bamboo at plant nurseries.
The supervisors also asked DCC to submit annual reports on the effectiveness of the bamboo ordinance. If it turns out the $2,000 fine isn’t enough, the board could raise it.
How about a fine for invasive neighbors that trash up their yards and bring down adjoining property values.?
Yay
BOS found another way of driving the poor from our county.
Great job BOS – Let’s kick these losers out of here!
Gentrification FTW! NIMBY Rules!
And no grandfather clause? I bought my property 23 years ago and now I have to contain bamboo someone planted over 50 years ago? I guess I better sell now, before the county fines me and takes away my home. Way to go supervisors.
Ditto. It was here when we moved in 24 years ago, and provides a bit of a screen between my home and a busy road. Many of my older neighbors are leaving the area. Do we have to be next?
Same here. We bought a house that already had bamboo that had spread…we removed it all from our yard and installed rhizome barriers but now we have to go remove it from other people’s yards? It’s under our (new) fence and shed…does the county expect us to demolish it to get every last rhizome?? I can’t believe they didn’t offer any protection to homeowners that were grandfathered in to this problem =(
There’s some issues with this but this is not one of them. Of course it’s your responsibility to adhere ever changing community needs. If I buy a house today with a 50 year old tree that falls on the neighbors house do I get to send the bill to the previous owner? No. It’s my responsibility
That’s not how that works at all, actually. If your neighbor’s tree falls on your house, short of having evidence that the neighbor knew of imminent danger, it’s your problem, not his.
The bamboo invading my property comes from a massive (1-3 acre) patch of bamboo on county property that has been there for 30+ years. No matter how much I cut the bamboo on my property, it will come back. The bamboo is also home to many animals such as owls and freshwater otters, which I believe are protected species.
If the Board cared about endangered/threatened species, they would reconsider forcing homeowners to level mature bamboo forests without regard for local wildlife.
If the Board cared about equity, they would impose a fine on the county when the county’s bamboo invades homeowners’ yards. What’s the plan to eliminate bamboo on county land?!
OK, I’ll bite. How is bamboo “home to owls”? Please cite your source, as this is the first I’ve heard of this. And while bamboo apparently can provide bedding material for river otters, is this even relevant to typical residential Ffx Co homeowners with invasive bamboo groves? All I know is that I’ve busted my behind trying to control invading bamboo stemming from my neighbor’s property, and none of the successive homeowners have cared enough to do anything about their originating thickets. Hopefully, the fines will motivate them to deal with this blight. Thank you, BOS!
Well said! I busted my a$$ and shelled out lots of $$$ because of my neighbor’s invasive weed. He couldn’t care less either. So glad to see this in place.
I’ve seen owls make nests in mature bamboo.
Me too Sam!
Can we fine the County for having invasive bamboo from their right of way invading our property?
Let’s have a test of this policy by calling Penny Gross and reporting the massive growth of bamboo on Columbia pike at the Lake Barcroft spillway. It was so bad this winter that the snow crushed it down over the guard rail into the right lane of Columbia pike. Ok Penny the balls is in your court.
Penny Gross:
Phone — (703) 213-8601
[email protected]
You are 100% free to email or call her yourself. I’m not a Penny fan, but I’m absolutely sick of people whining.
Not a fan of free speech? I’m sick of you whining about whining.
We bought our house 20 years ago, and there was a mature bamboo grove between us and our neighbor. Now 20 years later we have a new neighbor; so what happens if they want to claim its our bamboo? Can they complain? It covers the entire property line between our two properties, and has been there for decades. Who knows who planted it. It seems like the BOS is opening a can of worms.
Penny won’t do anything about it if there is even a remote chance of opposition.