Public Health Rules in Memphis, TN (2026)
3 verified public health rules for Memphis, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Rodent Control
Memphis Code Chapter 9-80 requires every business building and multifamily dwelling to be ratproofed and kept rat-free under the health officer's supervision. On written notice of a rat problem, the owner must ratproof within at least 15 days; if the owner doesn't comply, the health officer can do the work and bill the owner.
Memphis Ratproofing & Rodent Control Rules
Significant RestrictionsMemphis Code §§ 9-80-7, 9-80-9
Sec. 9-80-7(A). All business buildings or multifamily dwellings in the city shall be ratproofed, freed of rats, and maintained in a ratproof and rat-free condition under the direction and supervision of the health officer. Sec. 9-80-9(A). Upon receipt of written notice from the health officer, the owner of any business building or multifamily dwelling specified therein shall take immediate meas...
Syringe Disposal
Memphis regulates sharps and pathogenic waste from clinics, dental offices, blood banks and medical labs under City Code § 9-56-6(B): after use, needles must be broken off at the hub and separated from the syringe, pathological waste must go into sealed, tied disposable bags stored in director-approved containers, and it is disposed of only on the regular collection day.
Memphis Medical Sharps & Pathogenic Waste Disposal
Some RestrictionsMemphis Code § 9-56-6(B)
B.Pathogenic and radioactive waste. All pathogenic and radioactive waste shall be disposed of by the hospital or institution generating such waste under such conditions as shall be approved by the health department. ... All pathological waste from physicians' clinics, dental clinics, blood banks and medical laboratories, shall be separate from normal waste, placed in durable disposable bags tha...
Food Handler Certification
Memphis doesn't run its own food handler certification program. City Code § 9-52-89 instead requires every food handler in the city to meet the standard set by Tennessee's food employee statute, T.C.A. § 53-8-108, plus state health department rules and the general sanitary-conditions article at City Code § 9-52-26.
Memphis Food Handler Certification Requirement
Some RestrictionsMemphis Code § 9-52-89
All food handlers shall meet the standards as set forth in T.C.A.S 53-8-108, state department of health rules and regulations, and city Code Title 9, Chapter V, Article II, section 9-52-26.
Looking for Shelby County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Memphis city rules.
Public Health Rules in Shelby County →