The survey staff rarely enter private property without the owner's express permission. In fact, about half of our work comes from citizens reporting infestations and asking for information and assistance in getting rid of noxious weeds on their own property. The remainder of the infestations are sighted by the program's field staff as they travel the county. The King County Noxious Weed Control Board does not require people to use herbicides to control weeds. The majority of weed infestations are controlled voluntarily by landowners.
Weeds are everyone's problem.
Even landowners who don't currently have weeds can be harmed by weeds that spread from adjacent lands. Seeds are carried by wind and cars and the invasive nature of these plants means that no land is immune to their spread. Prevention of new infestations and introductions is a top priority of the weed board. When the state passed the law mandating that counties control noxious weeds, it gave counties only two ways to fund the work. The can either use general fund money, for which there is a lot of competition, or they can assess a special dedicated fee on property.