30 Apr KDA Publishes Permanent Administrative Noxious Weed Regulations
On April 30, 2026, the Kansas Department of Agriculture published the following Permanent Administrative Regulations on Noxious Weeds, and revoked the following regulations: 4-8-28, 4-8-29, 4-8-30, 4-8-31, 4-8-32, 4-8-33, 4-8-34, 4-8-35, 4-8-36, 4-8-37, and 4-8-40.
4-8-27. Adoption of control methods for noxious weeds. The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s official control methods for noxious weeds are hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of noxious weeds in Kansas, as follows:
(a) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for musk thistle,” dated April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of musk thistle in Kansas. If a county, city, township, or district weed supervisor determines that musk thistles in the weed supervisor’s county, city, township, or district have reached a stage of maturity that will render the weed control methods currently being used in that county, city, township, or district ineffective, the weed supervisor may give notice requiring the effective control methods to be implemented within 10 business days of the date the notice was issued.
(b) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for Johnsongrass,” dated April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of Johnsongrass in Kansas.
(c) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for field bindweed,” dated April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of field bindweed in Kansas.
(d) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for hoary cress,” dated April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of hoary cress in Kansas.
(e) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for Russian knapweed,” dated April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of Russian knapweed in Kansas.
(f) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for bur ragweed,” dated April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of bur ragweed in Kansas.
(g) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for Canada thistle,” dated April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of Canada thistle in Kansas.
(h) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for leafy spurge,” dated April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of leafy spurge in Kansas.
(i) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for quackgrass,” dated April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of quackgrass in Kansas.
(j) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for kudzu,” dated April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of kudzu in Kansas.
(k) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for sericea lespedeza,” dated April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of sericea lespedeza in Kansas.
(l) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for spotted knapweed,” April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of spotted knapweed in Kansas.
(m) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for diffuse knapweed,” April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of diffuse knapweed in Kansas.
(n) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for Amur honeysuckle,” April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of Amur honeysuckle in Kansas.
(o) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for common teasel,” April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of common teasel in Kansas.
(p) The Kansas department of agriculture’s document titled “official control methods for cutleaf teasel,” April 2025, is hereby adopted by reference and shall apply to the control of cutleaf teasel in Kansas. (Authorized by and implementing K.S.A. 2-1315; effective May 1, 1988; amended Jan. 22, 1990; amended June 1, 1992; amended Oct. 27, 2000; amended Aug. 6, 2004; amended, T-4-5-20-05, May 20, 2005; amended, T-4-3-29-06, March 29, 2006; amended April 27, 2007; amended March 26, 2021; amended May 15, 2026.)
4-8-44. Designation of noxious weeds. (a) Pursuant to K.S.A. 2-1314 and amendments thereto, the weeds designated noxious by the secretary shall be placed in the following categories:
(1) Category A noxious weeds, which are weed species that are generally not found in the state or that are found limited in distribution throughout the state;
(2) category B noxious weeds, which are weed species with discrete distributions throughout the state; and
(3) category C noxious weeds, which are weed species that are well established within the state and known to exist in larger or more extensive populations in the state.
(b) Category A noxious weeds shall be subject to control efforts directed at excluding the noxious weeds from the state or eradicating the population of noxious weeds wherever detected statewide, in order to protect neighboring lands and the state as a whole.
Category A noxious weeds shall include the following:
(1) Hoary cress, Lepidium draba;
(2) leafy spurge, Euphorbia virgata;
(3) quackgrass, Elymus repens;
(4) Russian knapweed, Rhaponticum repens;
(5) kudzu, Pueraria montana variety lobata;
(6) spotted knapweed, Centaurea stoebe; and
(7) diffuse knapweed, Centaurea diffusa.
(c) Category B noxious weeds shall be subject to control wherever populations have become established within the state and subject to control efforts directed at eradication wherever populations are not established. Category B noxious weeds shall include the following:
(1) Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense;
(2) common teasel, Dipsacus fullonum; and
(3) cutleaf teasel, Dipsacus laciniatus.
(d) New populations of category C noxious weeds shall be subject to control efforts directed at reducing or eradicating those populations. Known and established populations of category C noxious weeds shall be managed by any approved control method.
Category C noxious weeds shall include the following:
(1) Field bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis;
(2) musk thistle, Carduus nutans;
(3) sericea lespedeza, Lespedeza cuneata;
(4) Johnsongrass, Sorghum halepense;
(5) bur ragweed, Ambrosia grayii; and
(6) amur honeysuckle, Lonicera maackii.
(e) Any county, city, township, or district weed supervisor or any official of another government agency may require the most stringent control measures specified in this regulation for any noxious weed, regardless of the category in which this regulation places that noxious weed, if the county, city, township, or district weed supervisor or government agency official determines that it is necessary to do so based on the results of the survey provided pursuant to K.S.A. 2-1316, and amendments thereto. (Authorized by and implementing K.S.A. 2-1314 and 2-1315; effective March 26, 2021; amended May 15, 2026.)