Calaveras County, CA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Chapter 8.12, the Calaveras County Solid Waste Management Ordinance, defines a "vector" in Section 8.12.030 as any insect, arthropod, rodent or other animal capable of transmitting disease or disrupting the normal enjoyment of life by affecting public health. Section 8.12.040 places the duty directly on the property owner or occupant: solid waste must be stored on the premises, or handled off-site, in a manner that does not promote the propagation, harborage or attraction of vectors or create a nuisance.

Storage containers reinforce the vector rule. Section 8.12.070 requires that solid waste containing putrescible matter go into nonabsorbent, watertight, vector-resistant, durable containers with tight-fitting lids, sized between ten and thirty-two gallons unless a permitted hauler allows otherwise, and kept clean and free of putrescible residue. Even recyclables stored in open containers under Section 8.12.080 cannot be kept in a way that attracts vectors or creates litter or nuisance.

Removal timing closes the loop: Section 8.12.120 requires the owner or occupant to remove accumulated solid waste, other than inert materials, from the property within seven days to prevent the propagation, harborage or attraction of flies, rodents or other vectors, and the local enforcement agency can require even more frequent removal where vector propagation threatens public health. "Nuisance," also defined in Section 8.12.030, expressly includes conditions from the storage, removal or disposal of solid waste that are injurious to health or offensive to the senses.