Ceres, CA Public Health Rules: Bed-Bug Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Legal status
- Declared a public nuisance
- Who's responsible
- Owner, tenant, or anyone in control
- Enforcement tool
- Administrative citation or abatement
- Unpaid abatement costs
- Become a lien on property
Summary
Ceres treats a bed bug infestation as a public nuisance a property owner must not allow to exist, enforceable by Code Enforcement under the City's abatement procedures.
Maintenance of any building, vacant lot, premise, vehicle, or place in such manner as to permit the breeding or harboring therein or thereon of flies, bedbugs, cockroaches, black widow spiders, lice, fleas, or any other vermin.EE.The existence of any structures or conditions which violates:1.California Civil Code section 1941.1;2.Any ordinance of the City adopted pursuant to chapter 4 (commencing with section 65800) of division 1 of title 7 of the California Government Code, or any other constitutional or statutory authority;3.Any provision of article 1 (commencing with section 13100) of chapter 1 of part 2 of division 12 of the California Health and Safety Code, and any City ordinances or regulations adopted pursuant to that Article;4.Any provision of the State Housing Law (part 1.5 (commencing with section 17910) of division 13 of the California Health and Safety Code) and any City ordinances or regulations adopted pursuant to that article; or5.Any provision of the California Building Standards Code (title 24 of the California Code of Regulations). (Ord. No. 2020-1056, § 3, 2-24-2020)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
City code lists letting a building, lot, vehicle, or premises harbor bedbugs among the conditions declared a public nuisance. Owners, tenants, and anyone with control of the property share the duty to prevent it, and Code Enforcement can pursue administrative citations or formal abatement, including recovering costs as a lien on the property, once a bed bug condition is documented.
Violations & Fines
Nuisance abatement action under Title 19; administrative citation fines; abatement costs charged to the owner and recorded as a property lien if unpaid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ceres require landlords to disclose bed bugs to tenants?
Who can be cited if a rental has bed bugs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ceres
California rules heatmap·Compare Ceres to another location·View the California public health rules overview
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