Bayonne, NJ Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 17-14.6, Vermin Control, places extermination duty squarely on the property owner: the owner of a premises must be responsible for the extermination of rats, vermin or other pests in all interior and exterior areas of the premises. The Code's definitions section, Section 17-12.2, defines INFESTATION broadly as the presence within or contiguous to a structure or premises of rats, vermin or other rodents, squirrels, skunks or raccoons, giving the enforcement officer a wide basis for citing a property. Vermin conditions also surface elsewhere in the Property Maintenance chapter: the findings behind Article II note that infestations of vermin can injure public health and safety, basement hatchways and windows must be guarded against vermin entry, and a property with a vermin presence the owner has failed to address can be declared a nuisance under Section 17-31.10.

Retail food establishments face an added layer of duty: their waste receptacles must be insect and rodent resistant, tightly covered, and cleaned often enough to avoid attracting insects and rodents. Enforcement of Section 17-14.6 runs through the general Chapter 17 Article II process: the enforcement officer designated by the Mayor issues a written notice describing the infestation and giving 30 days to correct it, and an owner can request a hearing before the Municipal Court of the City of Bayonne to contest the notice.