Burleson, TX Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Rodent harborage nuisance
- § 34-31(9), refuse providing harborage for rodents, rats or vermin
- Standing water nuisance
- § 34-31(7), harborage for mosquitoes, flies or other insects
- Building interior
- Owner shall keep interior free from insects, rodents, and vermin (§ 10-455)
- Mobile home parks
- Free of insect and rodent harborage and infestation (§ 50-189)
- Maximum fine
- Not exceeding $2,000.00 for public health and sanitation (§ 1-14(b))
- Daily offense
- Each day a violation continues is a separate offense (§ 1-14(c))
Summary
Section 34-31 of the Burleson Code of Ordinances declares it a public nuisance in the City of Burleson, Texas to let garbage, rubbish or debris pile up so that it provides harborage for rodents, rats, snakes or vermin, or to let standing water harbor mosquitoes and flies. Building owners must also keep building interiors free of insects, rodents and vermin under § 10-455.
Without limiting the power of the city council to hereafter declare as public nuisances any other act, condition, or thing, by ordinance, the following specific acts, conditions, and things are each and all of them are hereby declared to be and constitute public nuisances. ... (7) Permitting any land area, tank, alley, gutter, swimming pool, or open receptacle containing water, whether above-ground or in-ground, or a source of water to become stagnant, foul, nauseous, offensive or unpleasant, or provide harborage for mosquitoes, flies, or other insects. ... (9) Permitting the accumulation or the dumping of garbage, rubbish, trash, junk, rubble or debris, decaying vegetation, or to make nauseous, foul or putrid discharges, which provides a breeding place for insects or rodents which is offensive, tends to decay, become putrid, become offensive and odorous, or which renders the atmosphere impure or unwholesome and provides harborage for flies, mosquitoes, rodents, rats, snakes, or vermin.
Full Breakdown
Burleson regulates rodents through its nuisance and building standards rather than a standalone pest chapter. Article II of Chapter 34 lists specific public nuisances in § 34-31, and the city council declares each of them a public nuisance. Item (9) targets the accumulation or dumping of garbage, rubbish, trash, junk, rubble or debris, or decaying vegetation, that provides a breeding place for insects or rodents or provides harborage for flies, mosquitoes, rodents, rats, snakes, or vermin. Item (7) covers the vector side: permitting any land area, tank, alley, gutter, swimming pool, or open receptacle containing water, above-ground or in-ground, to become stagnant, foul or offensive, or to provide harborage for mosquitoes, flies, or other insects. An exception in item (7) lets the city abate mosquito-related nuisances without notice, in the manner described in Chapter 341 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, on residential property that is reasonably presumed to be abandoned or uninhabited due to foreclosure and is an immediate danger to any person. Item (10) separately prohibits piling up building materials, discarded furniture, tree limbs, inoperable household appliances, vehicle tires, scrap metal and similar items on private property.
Inside buildings, § 10-455(2) sets health standards: an owner of property shall keep the interior of a building free from insects, rodents, and vermin, and shall keep the interior and exterior of a vacant building or vacant portion free from rubbish, garbage, and other filth. Those standards sit in the substandard building article, where § 10-453(e) sets a fine of not more than $2,000.00 per separate offense. Mobile home parks carry their own rule in § 50-189: grounds, buildings and structures shall be maintained free of insect and rodent harborage and infestation, and extermination methods shall conform with the requirements of the health official. Refuse in those parks must be stored in flytight, watertight, rodentproof containers.
Violations & Fines
Section 1-14(b) sets the maximum fine for violating Code provisions that govern fire safety, zoning, or public health and sanitation, including dumping of refuse, at a fine not exceeding $2,000.00, and § 1-14(c) makes each day a violation continues a separate offense. For building interiors, § 10-453(e) separately fixes a fine of not more than $2,000.00 per separate offense. A building with rodent or sanitation defects can also be declared substandard under § 10-454(a)(12) and sent to the building codes and standards board.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a rodent-attracting trash pile illegal in Burleson?
Do Burleson property owners have to keep rodents out of buildings?
Does stagnant pool water count as a nuisance in Burleson?
What is the fine for a sanitation violation in Burleson?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Burleson
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