Bethlehem, PA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

08 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Bethlehem, Article 1161 Health Nuisances, applies whenever the Bureau of Health determines a building is infested by rats, roaches, or other potential disease vectors to a degree that constitutes a health nuisance. The owner of the source property, or of a property affected by the infestation, must abate the nuisance in the manner and on the schedule the Bureau prescribes, and the work must be performed by a professional exterminator certified in restricted-use pesticides and acceptable to the Bureau.

09 authorizes the Bureau of Health to engage labor and materials to exterminate the property itself, then certify the cost plus a 20 percent penalty to the City Solicitor, who files it as a lien against the property in the Court of Common Pleas of either Northampton or Lehigh County, reflecting Bethlehem's split across both counties. 10 makes the property owner equally liable with any tenant for a violation and for the abatement expense, so a landlord cannot point to a tenant's neglect to avoid the bill. 2, separately requires that all extermination work citywide be administered by a state-certified technician.