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Clifton council declines to assume enforcement of Fairfax County's running bamboo ordinance
Summary
After reviewing Fairfax County's new running bamboo ordinance (effective Jan. 1, 2023) and its containment and penalty provisions, the council voted 5-0 to tell the county it will not take over enforcement within Clifton.
The Clifton Town Council on Aug. 2 considered information from Fairfax County about new regulations on running bamboo and voted to decline taking on enforcement within Town limits.
Council reviewed a county communication summarizing that Fairfax County Code requires bamboo owners to contain running bamboo and allows the Department of Code Compliance to enforce the rule on a complaint basis, with a notice-and-fix timeline and civil penalties. The county document included an explicit provision: after issuance of a Notice of Violation, each day that running bamboo remains uncontained may result in a fine of $50, up to a maximum of $2,000 in a 12-month period.
Councilmember Steve Effros moved that Clifton inform Fairfax County it is not interested in taking over enforcement of the county's running bamboo ordinance within the town, provided the ordinance applies to Clifton; Councilmember Lynn Screen seconded. The motion passed 5-0.
Council minutes record that members reviewed the county ordinance and chose to leave enforcement with Fairfax County, rather than creating a duplicate local enforcement program. The county's ordinance text and enforcement procedures were included in packet material distributed to council members.
