Bartow County, GA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 42-126 of the Bartow County Nuisance Ordinance lists specific conditions the county treats as unlawful nuisances, including, at subsection (3), conditions conducive to the excessive breeding of rodents and vermin in relation to the conditions of the surrounding area, as determined by the health officer, an authorized representative of the Bartow County Board of Health. The same section also targets improperly stored trash, garbage and putrescent material that is not kept in an approved, tightly sealed container, which is frequently the underlying cause of a rodent complaint, and standing or stagnant water that breeds flies and mosquitoes.

A property owner who believes strict enforcement would cause undue hardship can ask the health officer for a variance, so long as the hardship was not created by the owner's own action, and can appeal a denial to the board of health within 15 days by filing a written notice with the Bartow County Environmental Health Department. Creating or maintaining any listed nuisance, including a rodent-breeding condition, is itself a violation of the article, separate from any specific rule about sanitation, food service or on-site sewage the county also enforces through the Department of Human Resources rules it has adopted by reference.