Vegetation Management Program

Polk County’s road system has a Vegetation Management Program in order to maintain a safe, efficient and economical way of insuring the safety of the traveling public, reducing fire and weather hazards, while actively working to minimize adverse affects to property owners. This program is accomplished by keeping grass, weeds, brush, branches and trees maintained within the County right-of-way by means of herbicides, mowing, brushing and de-limbing trees.

The County offers and maintains a Private Maintenance Agreement Program as well. Landowners who are adjoining a county road can request special consideration regarding how their adjacent County right-of-way is maintained. Upon establishing a private maintenance area, property owners are responsible for maintaining the vegetation and brush within the designated section of right-of-way, to the County standard. While Polk County welcomes the opportunity to work with residents, safety, invasive plant species, sight distance, culvert and ditch cleaning concerns are always a top priority in the maintenance of the road system.

Upon approval of the Private Maintenance Agreement Application, the County will install signs on the property.  It is then the responsibility of the property owner to ensure all official signs are adequately maintained and visible to County crews. Private Maintenance Agreements require a one-time fee that is calculated based on individual property factors and are renewable bi-annually. The renewal is no charge as long as a renewal notice is returned within the designated time and the property has been in compliance. All approved applicants will receive a copy of the Polk County Vegetation Management Standards which provides guidelines of what the County standards are and the requirements for private maintenance of these areas.