Vegetation Control
Weed Commissioner
The Muscatine County Weed Commissioner is appointed annually by the Board of Supervisors to manage and control noxious weeds. Noxious weeds can proliferate in such abundance or be so difficult to control that they negatively impact agriculture and crowd out native plants.
According to Chapter 317 of the Code of Iowa, "Iowa Weed Law", it is the responsibility of each owner and each person in possession or control of any land in Iowa to cut, burn, or otherwise destroy all noxious weeds on their land before these plants have a chance to go to seed or mature.
Public Notice: destruction of noxious weeds
Weed ID & Management Techniques
Administrative Rules Chapter 58
Iowa mowing law designed to protect roadside habitats
The Muscatine County Secondary Roads Department reminds Iowans to protect roadside habitat for nesting game birds and song birds this spring and early summer.
According to Iowa Code 314.17, mowing roadside ditches is restricted until July 15 to protect young pheasants and other ground-nesting birds until they are ready to fledge. The law, which applies to county secondary roads as well as state primary and interstate highways, also protects habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects, including crop-pest predators.
Exceptions for visibility and weed control are built into the law, but non-essential mowing – including cutting for hay – is prohibited.
Mowing roadside vegetation on the rights of way or medians on any primary highway, interstate highway, or secondary road prior to July 15 is prohibited, except as follows:
- Within 200 yards of an inhabited dwelling
- On rights of way within one mile of the corporate limits of a city
- To promote native species of vegetation or other long-lived and adaptable vegetation
- To establish control of damaging insect populations, noxious weeds and invasive plant species
- For visibility and safety reasons
- Within rest areas, weigh stations and wayside parks
- Within 50 feet of a drainage tile or tile intake
- For access to mailboxes or for other accessibility purposes
- On rights of way adjacent to agricultural demonstration or research plots
Iowa’s roadsides provide a valuable refuge for wildlife. The mowing law serves as a reminder to only mow shoulders during the critical nesting season and leave the rest of the roadside for the birds. For more information, see the brochure below.
Iowa's Mowing Law for Roadsides