Atlanta property owners must keep premises free of rats and mice under City Code Chapter 54, with Fulton County Environmental Health enforcing harborage abatement on residential and commercial parcels.
Chapter 54 of the Atlanta Code requires owners and occupants to prevent rodent infestations by eliminating harborage, securing garbage in rodent-proof containers, and sealing exterior openings larger than a quarter inch. After a complaint, Fulton County Environmental Health or Atlanta Code Enforcement may inspect and issue an abatement notice giving the owner a defined window (often 10 to 30 days) to bait, trap, and rodent-proof the structure. Persistent infestations next to food establishments are treated as critical public health hazards and can trigger emergency abatement at the owner's expense.
Failing to abate within the notice window can result in citations, daily fines under Chapter 54, and the city contracting abatement work and billing the owner, with the cost recordable as a property lien.
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See how Atlanta's rodent control rules stack up against other locations.
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