Bergenfield, NJ Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sanitary Code § 344-18F
- Minimum notice period
- 24 hours to abate
- Enforcing officer
- Bergenfield Health Officer
- Self-help remedy
- Borough may abate and bill taxes
- General penalty
- $50-$1,000 or 90 days per § 344-4
Summary
Bergenfield's Sanitary Code declares it a public health nuisance to accumulate anything that feeds or shelters rodents or insects on any land, building, or premises. A Health Officer's notice gives the owner as little as 24 hours to abate before the Borough can remove the condition itself and bill the property.
§ 344-4. Violations and penalties. A. Minimum and maximum penalty. Any person violating any of the provisions of any article of this Code, shall, upon conviction thereof, pay a penalty of not of less than $50 nor more than $1,000 or imprisonment for a maximum term of 90 days, or both, for each offense. ... § 344-18. Nuisances enumerated. ... F. Depositing, accumulating or maintaining any matter or thing which serves as food for insects or rodents and to which they may have access or which serves or constitutes a breeding place or harborage for insects or rodents in or on any land, premises, building or other place. ... § 344-19. Notice of nuisance condition. Whenever any condition is declared by this Code to be a nuisance, or any unsanitary or unhealthy conditions are found on any premises within the Borough of Bergenfield or on any street or highway, a notice shall be issued by Health Officer or his designee to the owner or person in control of the premises to abate the condition at his own expense and risk within a period specified therein, but not less than 24 hours from the date of receipt of the notice.
Full Breakdown
' That sits alongside a related nuisance in § 344-18E covering accumulations of animal feces, garbage, refuse, or manure that attract flies or other insects. Once the Health Officer or a designee identifies such a condition on any premises, street, or highway, § 344-19 requires written notice to the owner or person in control, directing abatement at the owner's own expense within a stated period that cannot be shorter than 24 hours from receipt. If the owner lives out of state or can't be reached quickly, leaving the notice with a tenant or occupant, or posting it on the premises, counts as proper notification.
A. 26:3-53 authorizes, and § 344-21 allows immediate abatement without waiting out the notice period at all when the condition poses an immediate danger to health or safety. Whatever it costs the Borough to clear the harborage gets billed back to the property: § 344-16 lets those costs be certified to the tax assessor and added to the property's next tax bill, or pursued as a separate legal action brought by the Health Officer in the Borough's name if that isn't practical, with cost recovery not limiting any other penalty for the underlying violation.
Violations & Fines
Maintaining a rodent or insect harborage violates § 344-18F and is punishable under the Sanitary Code's general penalty section, § 344-4, at $50 to $1,000 per offense or up to 90 days in jail, with each day the condition continues counting as a separate violation. If the owner ignores the Health Officer's abatement notice, the Borough may clear the condition itself and add the cost to the property's tax bill under § 344-16.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a rodent nuisance under Bergenfield's code?
How much time do I get to clean up a rodent harborage in Bergenfield?
What if I don't clean up a rodent harborage after Bergenfield's notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bergenfield
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