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Invasive plants in Virginia sit in three noxious weed tiers that restrict movement. A separate DCR list is advisory and has no regulatory authority.

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Regulatory status

Virginia's legal list is the noxious weed regulation 2VAC5-317-20, which places 26 plants in Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3. Tier 1 weeds are not known to be present in Virginia. Tier 2 weeds are present and can feasibly be eradicated or suppressed. Tier 3 weeds are present, their spread can be slowed by movement restrictions, and eradication or suppression is not feasible. Moving a listed noxious weed requires a valid certificate or permit. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation also publishes an invasive plant list, but DCR states that list is for educational purposes only and has no regulatory authority.

Virginia has two lists, and only one of them is law.

The VDACS noxious weed list is the legal one. It sits in 2VAC5-317-20 and places 26 plants in three tiers. Moving a listed noxious weed is prohibited unless the shipment is accompanied by a valid certificate or permit.

Tier What it means All plants in this tier
Tier 1 Not known to be present in Virginia. Giant hogweed, giant salvinia, tropical soda apple
Tier 2 Present in Virginia; eradication or suppression is feasible. Cogon grass, purple loosestrife, water spinach, beach vitex, wavyleaf basketgrass, incised fumewort, two-horned trapa
Tier 3 Present; spread can be slowed by movement restrictions, but eradication or suppression is not feasible. Tree of heaven, porcelain berry, Oriental bittersweet, hydrilla, mile-a-minute, garlic mustard, Chinese yam, autumn olive, lesser celandine, bicolor lespedeza, Amur honeysuckle, Japanese honeysuckle, common reed, kudzu, Japanese knotweed, Siberian elm

The section that sets conditions is about movement, not about a general duty to clear land. A regulated article may not be moved unless it has a valid certificate or permit. That is the legal hook for a homeowner who is hauling plants, soil or equipment.

The DCR invasive plant list is different. DCR says the list is for educational purposes only and has no regulatory authority. It ranks species as high, medium or low for threat to forests, marshes, wetlands and waterways. It also keeps a separate early-detection list for species that are not yet widely established. DCR asks people to report those early-detection finds.

A plant can be a serious problem and still not be on the legal list. Callery pear is one example: it is not on the VDACS noxious weed list. Japanese knotweed is on the list, in Tier 3. Amur and Japanese honeysuckle are also Tier 3; our native vs invasive honeysuckle guide covers the hollow-stem test.

Start with Japanese knotweed or Callery pear, then use our removal guides. If you use an herbicide, follow the product label; the label is the law.

Read the current Virginia noxious weed list before you move a listed plant. Browse all state pages. This page was checked against the state sources on November 3, 2026.

Reporting and official sources

Reporting routes and classifications change. Confirm the current process with the state agency before submitting a report.

Priority species in Virginia

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against the sources below. Each link shows the date the source was accessed.

  1. 2VAC5-317-20. Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 noxious weeds — Virginia Administrative Code Accessed November 3, 2026
  2. 2VAC5-317-10. Definitions — Virginia Administrative Code Accessed November 3, 2026
  3. 2VAC5-317-30. Conditions governing the movement of regulated articles — Virginia Administrative Code Accessed November 3, 2026
  4. Virginia Invasive Plant Species List — Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Accessed November 3, 2026
  5. Exotic Invasive Plants (Publication 420-320) — Virginia Cooperative Extension Accessed November 3, 2026

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