HB 1606 Summary

• Designates musk thistle, Scotch thistle, and Canada thistle as noxious weeds and declares them a public nuisance across all Oklahoma counties.

• Requires every landowner to treat, control, or eradicate these thistles annually to prevent them from going to seed, with failure to comply subject to fines up to $1,000 per violation per day.

• Makes the Department of Transportation, county commissioners, and other public, private, or corporate entities maintaining rights-of-way responsible for preventing thistle seeding and removing infestations within their jurisdiction.

• Directs the State Department of Agriculture to inspect thistle infestations upon written complaint and determine appropriate treatment methods, with Oklahoma State University extension agents available to assist landowners.

• Requires the State Board to conduct annual surveys of thistle infestation across the state and publish public notices in newspapers informing landowners of their thistle removal obligations; becomes effective November 1, 2015.