Bristol, CT Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Sec. 12-43(a) sets the baseline: every building, structure, dwelling, and premises in Bristol has to stay pest-, insect-, and rat-free, and be maintained in a pest-, insect-, and rat-proof condition. Sec. 12-43(b) then assigns responsibility at the unit level, making the occupant of a single-unit dwelling responsible for extermination, and making the occupant of one unit in a multi-unit building responsible only when that unit alone is infested. Sec. 12-43(c) shifts the duty to the owner in two situations: when the infestation traces back to the owner's failure to keep the building reasonably rodent-proof, or when two or more units, or the shared common areas, are infested, in which case the owner also covers all exterior extermination work around the structure and grounds.

The code backs this up structurally in Sec. 12-80(f) and (g), which require every exterior opening larger than a half inch within forty-eight inches of ground level to be rodent-proofed, and every ground-level window or doorway that could let rodents in to carry a screen or comparable barrier. The Director of Health enforces Sec. 12-43 under the general inspection and notice powers in Sec. 12-131 through Sec. 12-134, and a violation carries the Sec. 12-135 fine of fifteen to ninety dollars per offense, escalating to double after fifteen unpaid days and triple after thirty, capped at six hundred dollars a day and nine thousand dollars total per case.