Yes, water hyacinth is illegal in Texas. Under Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Section 66.0072, you cannot import, possess, sell, or release water hyacinth into public water without a permit from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).1State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 66.0072 – Exotic Harmful or Potentially Harmful Aquatic Plants Both the floating form (Eichhornia crassipes) and the rooted form (Eichhornia azurea) sit on the state’s prohibited exotic aquatic species list, and the rooted form is also a federal noxious weed.2Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Prohibited/Controlled Exotic Species The plant is regulated this strictly because it doubles in coverage in about two weeks and forms mats that suffocate fish, block boats, and clog water intakes.
What the Law Actually Prohibits
The statute reaches farther than most people expect. If you’re doing any of the following without a TPWD permit, you’re breaking the law:
- Keeping water hyacinth in a backyard pond, aquarium, or water garden.
- Moving it from one water body to another, including a fragment stuck to a boat trailer, wrapped around a propeller, or floating in a live well.
- Selling, buying, trading, or giving it away, whether in person, through a nursery, or online.
- Bringing it into Texas from another state or country.
- Placing it into any public water.
Section 66.0072 does contain a narrow carve-out for certain microalgae used in biofuel, academic, or research work. That exception does not cover water hyacinth.1State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 66.0072 – Exotic Harmful or Potentially Harmful Aquatic Plants
Penalties in Texas
A violation of the exotic aquatic plant rules is a Class C Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanor. Fines run from $25 to $500 per offense. That’s the baseline penalty an officer at a boat ramp can write on the spot, and repeat or large-scale violations can move through the courts for more serious treatment.
Federal Penalties for Interstate Movement
Cross a state line with a listed noxious weed and the numbers change sharply. The Plant Protection Act allows criminal penalties of up to one year in prison for a knowing violation, and up to five years for someone who moves a prohibited plant for distribution or sale. Repeat federal offenders face up to ten years. Civil penalties can reach $50,000 for an individual and $250,000 for a business, per violation.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 7734 – Penalties for Violation Because Eichhornia azurea is on the Federal Noxious Weed List, interstate transport of the rooted form is a federal matter on top of any state charge.
Can You Ever Legally Possess It?
Yes, but only through a permit. TPWD issues exotic species permits under Section 66.0072 for research and education. Public schools running aquaponics or sustainable agriculture programs can qualify for a fee waiver on the application.4State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 66.007 – Exotic Harmful or Potentially Harmful Fish and Shellfish For work on private waters where the plant is already present, the exotic species permit application carries a $27 fee.5Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Nuisance Aquatic Vegetation
Federal permission is a separate step. If you’re importing water hyacinth into the United States or shipping it between states for authorized work, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) requires a PPQ 526 permit through its eFile system. APHIS says processing averages around 127 days, and recommends applying at least 40 weeks ahead if a containment inspection is needed.6U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Regulated Organism and Soil Permits A Texas permit does not satisfy the federal requirement, and a federal permit does not satisfy the state requirement.
If You Own Lakefront and Water Hyacinth Shows Up
You don’t need a permit or a treatment proposal to pull floating aquatic plants, including water hyacinth, away from your own dock or shoreline by hand. TPWD’s nuisance vegetation rules exempt lakefront landowners doing this kind of small-scale, manual removal.5Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Nuisance Aquatic Vegetation So the possession ban does not turn you into a violator for clearing plants that drifted onto your frontage.
The exemption is narrow. It covers physical removal near your property. It does not let you spray herbicide into public water or run a mechanical harvester across the cove. Anything beyond hand-clearing your immediate shoreline requires a treatment proposal filed with TPWD at least 14 days before work begins under 31 TAC Section 57.932.7Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Aquatic Vegetation Management in Texas – Appendix B And whatever you pull out shouldn’t go back into any water body or move on a trailer to another lake; the transport ban still applies to the fragments.
Watch Your Boat
Most accidental violations happen at the ramp. A single leaf stalk clinging to a trailer bunk or a piece caught in a motor’s intake is enough for a citation, and it’s how water hyacinth spreads between lakes. Before leaving a launch, drain the live well and bilge, and check the hull, trailer, and prop for plant material. Dispose of anything you find in the trash, well away from water.
Reporting a New Infestation
If you see water hyacinth in a water body where it hasn’t been before, report it through the Texas Invasives website at texasinvasives.org. A photo and GPS location help state biologists respond quickly. The Invaders of Texas app for iPhone and Android submits sightings directly from the field.8Texas Invasives. Report It Catching an infestation while it’s still a few plants is the difference between a morning of hand-pulling and a multi-year herbicide program.