Fenceline Spraying

The Agricultural Services Department conducts their annual spraying and mowing programs on County road allowances, using a 3 year rotational cycle, to ensure effective weed and pest control for the entirety of the County.

Selective herbicide application on roadsides is done to control the spread of noxious and prohibited noxious weeds. 

The tentative spray areas for 2024 are the Northmark, Westmark, and Woking areas. Should you wish to be included in, or excluded from, the Roadside Spraying Program, you can sign either a Fenceline Spraying Agreement or Do Not Spray Agreement with the County.

Fenceline Spraying

Should you wish to have the private fenceline adjacent to your property sprayed, as part of the County's Roadside Spraying Program, you will need to complete a Fenceline Spraying Agreement. 

Eligible registrants for the program are Saddle Hills County residents, grazing lease holders, and registered landowners. 

By signing the agreement, Agricultural Services will apply herbicide along the perimeter of the property, within the fenceline adjacent to a developed right-of-way. This allows the County to spray up to two metres onto private land and control noxious and prohibited noxious weeds and/or brush less than two metres in height.

Herbicide application will be avoided within 30 horizontal metres of domestic use dugouts, shelterbelts, residences, or common bodies of water, and applied from the roadside unless the terrain only allows access from inside the property line.

Fenceline Spraying Agreements remain in effect for the year they are signed or until cancelled by the landowner or the County.

Do Not Spray

If you do not want the County to conduct the Roadside Spraying Program on the road allowance that is adjacent to your property, you will need to complete a Do Not Spray Agreement. 

Once the agreement is signed, the landowner becomes responsible for maintaining weed control on the portion of roadside between their property boundary and the centre line of the roadway. It is the owners responsibility to keep the area free of noxious and/or restricted weeds and brush.

Maintenance Inspections will periodically be carried out by the Agricultural Services Department on this right-of-way, to ensure that proper weed control is being undertaken. Should brush, noxious and/or restricted weeds be present in this area and are determined to be at an unacceptable level, Saddle Hills County will notify the landowner and define a time period within which the issues should be rectified. Failure to comply to an acceptable standard, as deemed by the Agricultural Services Department, may result in cancellation of the agreement and inability to participate in the program for a period of two years. 

In this instance, the County may take whatever steps it deems appropriate to control the weeds and vegetation, including herbicide application.

The deadline for applications is May 31, 2024 for the current season. You can complete the applications online, complete and email us the fillable PDF, or complete an application in person at the County Administration Building. 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the County's Roadside Spraying Program, please get in touch with us at (780) 864-3760 or email ag@saddlehills.ab.ca