Alhambra, CA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

100 adopts Section 633 of the Public Health Code into the city code, requiring rat-proofing for any building or structure, or portion of one, used to store or handle grain, grain products, or food or food products for human or animal consumption, with dwellings and apartments carved out of the requirement. The standard is specific: every underfloor vent, foundation opening, roof vent, and skylight must be screened with at least half-inch mesh hardware cloth to keep rodents out. Buildings must sit on continuous foundations as specified in the uniform building code adopted by Title 20, unless they rest on a cement or asphaltic concrete slab at least three inches thick with a continuous concrete curb at least one foot deep around the outside edge, or unless the building is under 400 square feet with an 18-inch clearance under the floor joists on piers.

Exterior stud walls need a 12-inch strip of noncorrodible metal lath weighing at least three-quarters of a pound per square yard placed under wall coverings at floor level on both faces, except where an 18-inch under-floor clearance is maintained or the exterior covering is stucco. 080.