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Lawrence, KS Public Health Rules: Bed-Bug Rules (2026)

Light Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section: IPMC § 309.6 (Lawrence City Code § 9-725)
Authority: Code official may issue bed bug extermination regulations
Notice requirement: Regulations posted on the city's website
Who must have access: All landlords within the city
General penalty: $100 to $500 fine, up to 3 months jail

Summary

In the City of Lawrence, Section 309.6 of the amended property maintenance code authorizes the code official to issue bed bug extermination regulations, which must be posted on the city's website and made available to every landlord in the city, giving Lawrence a dedicated administrative rule for bed bug infestations.

309.6. Bed bug infestation. The code official is hereby authorized to promulgate regulations governing the procedure for the extermination of bed bugs in the event of a bed bug infestation. Those regulations shall be posted on the city's website and shall otherwise be made available to all landlords within the city.

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Full Breakdown

6, to the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code as adopted in Lawrence: the code official is hereby authorized to promulgate regulations governing the procedure for the extermination of bed bugs in the event of a bed bug infestation. Rather than write a fixed extermination protocol into the code itself, the city commission delegated that task to the code official, the Director of Planning and Development Services, who can update the technical procedure without a new ordinance each time treatment standards change. The section builds in a notice requirement: those regulations shall be posted on the city's website and shall otherwise be made available to all landlords within the city, so a property owner managing rental units has an affirmative way to find the current bed bug protocol rather than relying on general awareness.

6 layers a bed-bug-specific procedure on top of that general duty, letting the code official specify inspection, notification, and treatment steps distinct from the broader pest-control rule. 6 itself.

Violations & Fines

A landlord's failure to follow the code official's promulgated bed bug regulations is enforced as a property maintenance code violation under Section 106.4: a fine of $100.00 to $500.00, a jail term of five days to three months, or both, with each day of continued noncompliance after notice a separate offense. The code official may instead pursue abatement under Section 106.5.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Lawrence have its own bed bug law?

Yes. Section 309.6 of the city's property maintenance code authorizes the code official to promulgate regulations governing the extermination procedure whenever a bed bug infestation occurs, giving Lawrence a dedicated administrative rule rather than leaving bed bugs to the general pest-elimination sections alone.

Where can a landlord find the current bed bug procedure?

Section 309.6 requires the code official's regulations to be posted on the city's website and otherwise made available to all landlords within the city, so a rental property owner has a specific, official source to check rather than guessing at the required steps.

Who enforces the bed bug regulations in Lawrence?

The code official, the Director of Planning and Development Services, who is the same official who promulgates the regulations under Section 309.6 and who enforces the wider property maintenance code, including the general pest-elimination duties in Sections 309.3 and 309.4.

What can happen if a landlord ignores a bed bug order?

The same penalties apply as for any property maintenance violation under Section 106.4: a fine of $100.00 to $500.00, a jail term of five days to three months, or both, with every additional day after notice treated as a separate offense against the landlord.

Sources & Official References

[1]Code of the City of Lawrence, Kansas (Municode)

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