Guide
Japanese knotweed and the law: what a landowner must do
Updated
You do not legally have to remove Japanese knotweed from your land unless it is causing a nuisance, GOV.UK says, but you must stop it spreading off your property, and you can be prosecuted for causing it to spread into the wild under section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
What the law says
Section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it an offence to plant or otherwise cause to grow in the wild any plant listed in Part II of Schedule 9, the list Japanese knotweed is on. GOV.UK says you must stop knotweed on your land spreading off your property, that soil or plant material contaminated with it may be classified as controlled waste, and that you do not have to remove it unless it is causing a nuisance.
Treating and disposing of it
- Only approved herbicides may be used, and GOV.UK says not to treat knotweed yourself unless you have the skills and experience.
- Spraying near water needs the Environment Agency's agreement, and a protected site needs Natural England's permission.
- Burying it on site needs the Environment Agency told at least one month before.
- Taking it off site needs a registered waste carrier and a permitted disposal site.
Source for each line: How to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading, GOV.UK, last updated 12 February 2026. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish their own guidance.
This page explains what the law and GOV.UK's guidance say; it is not legal advice.