Bristol, PA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Who decides
- The Borough Inspector determines a health nuisance
- Who must treat
- Professional exterminator certified in restricted-use pesticides
- Lien penalty
- Cost plus 20% under § 10-702
- First violation
- $100 fine or 30 days, or both
- Fourth violation
- $1,000 fine or 90 days, or both
- Owner liability
- Equal to the tenant, § 10-703
Summary
In Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, the Borough Inspector decides when rats, roaches or other disease vectors make a building a health nuisance. Owners then abate it on the Inspector's schedule using a certified professional exterminator, or the Borough does it at the owner's expense. Fines under § 10-704 start at $100 and rise to $1,000 for a fourth violation.
When the Borough Inspector determines that an infestation of a building by rats, roaches or other potential disease vectors exists such as to be a health nuisance, owners of property believed to be a source of infestation or to be affected by the infestation shall be responsible to abate such nuisance in a manner and on a schedule prescribed by the Borough Inspector. All such nuisance abatement shall be done by a professional exterminator, certified in restricted-use pesticides, and acceptable to the Borough Inspector. In the event that the property owner shall fail to so act, such property owner shall be liable for the penalties prescribed herein, and the Borough Inspector shall then cause such property to be exterminated at the owner's expense.
Full Breakdown
Bristol Borough handles rats, roaches and other disease vectors in Chapter 10, Part 7, Vectors. Under § 10-701 the Borough Inspector determines whether an infestation of a building by rats, roaches or other potential disease vectors exists such as to be a health nuisance. Once that finding is made, owners of property believed to be a source of infestation, and owners of property affected by it, are responsible for abating the nuisance in a manner and on a schedule the Borough Inspector prescribes.
The work has to be done by a professional exterminator who is certified in restricted-use pesticides and acceptable to the Borough Inspector. The text names no do-it-yourself alternative. If the owner fails to act, the owner is liable for the penalties prescribed in the Part, and the Borough Inspector then causes the property to be exterminated at the owner's expense.
Section 10-702 sets the cost recovery. When any person refuses, neglects or fails to comply with the Part or with a notice given under it, the Borough Inspector is empowered and directed to engage all labor and furnish all materials necessary to comply with the notice. The cost and expense, together with 20% added as a penalty, is certified to the Borough Solicitor, who enters it as a lien against the property in the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County and collects it in the same way as other municipal claims.
Landlords cannot hand the problem to the occupant. Section 10-703 makes a property owner equally liable with the tenant for a violation of any provision of the Part and for any expense incurred by proper authority in abating a nuisance specified in it. The Part took effect by Ordinance 1300, adopted March 10, 2014.
The Part is enforced alongside the Borough's property maintenance and nuisance provisions, but the vector rules stand on their own: the trigger is the Inspector's determination, the standard is a health nuisance, and the remedy is professional extermination on a deadline the Inspector sets.
Violations & Fines
Section 10-704 sets escalating penalties for any violation of Part 7. A first violation is a fine of $100 or 30 days' imprisonment, or both. A second is $250 or 60 days, or both. A third is $500 or 90 days, or both. A fourth and each subsequent violation is $1,000 or 90 days, or both. Separately, the § 10-702 abatement cost carries a 20% penalty and becomes a lien on the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides whether a rodent problem is a nuisance in Bristol Borough?
Can I treat the infestation myself?
Is a landlord responsible for rodents in a rented unit?
What happens if the owner does nothing?
How large are the fines for repeat violations?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bristol
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