Dallas, TX Building Safety: Pest Control (2026)

Dallas City Code Chapter 27 (Minimum Property Standards) requires property owners to maintain premises free of conditions that promote pest infestation. Under the code's definition, 'infestation' means the presence within or contiguous to a structure or premises of insects, rodents, vectors, or other pests. Section 27-14.1 specifically requires that before a structure ordered demolished can be torn down, the owner must obtain certification from a person licensed under the Texas Structural Pest Control Act (Occupations Code Chapter 1951) that the structure is free of insects and rodents or has been treated within the preceding 30 days. If the owner fails to obtain this certification, the city may do so and charge the cost as part of the demolition expense, which becomes a lien against the property. The Dallas Mosquito Abatement Program, operated by Consumer Health within Code Compliance Services, conducts surveillance, larviciding, and adulticiding (ground and aerial spraying) to control mosquito populations. Residents can opt out of spraying via 311. Property owners who maintain stagnant water, overgrown vegetation, or unsanitary conditions that attract pests may receive code violations under Chapter 27.