Council committee advances Bill 26-25 on vegetation and invasive bamboo amid operational concerns

The Montgomery County Transportation and Environment Committee on Dec. 8 debated and advanced amendments to Bill 26-25, a measure that would change the county's Chapter 58 (weeds) to better accommodate native plants and restrict invasive bamboo.

Chair Glass, the bill sponsor, said the ordinance would redefine the term "weed" to exempt native plants and grasses and prohibit the sale and transplanting of invasive bamboo. He cited Delegate Linda Foley’s 2024 legislation in Annapolis that allowed local jurisdictions to regulate invasive bamboo sales and noted the bill aims to reduce neighbor-to-neighbor disputes and costly remediation.

County staff from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) presented amendments and a PowerPoint explaining enforcement implications. DEP and DHCA indicated they support the bill’s intent but urged changes to make enforcement feasible: remove species-by-species lists in favor of vegetation-based standards; clarify applicability beyond platted subdivisions; and define operational thresholds (for example, allowing vegetation up to 12 inches…