Burlington, NC Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 14-13(b) of the Burlington Code of Ordinances places extermination duties squarely on the property owner: an owner is responsible for extermination of insects, rodents or other pests, and that duty applies even when the owner has separately required occupants by lease to handle pest control or maintain equipment. Independently, Section 22-2(2) of the nuisance chapter declares any accumulation of animal or vegetable matter offensive due to strong odors, vapors, or the presence of rats, mice, snakes or vermin of any kind to be a nuisance affecting the health, safety and welfare of city residents.

When the code enforcement division finds such a condition, Section 22-3 requires mailed notice and posting on the property, and the owner has ten days to abate before the city can act; an appeal to the city manager under Section 22-4 stays that ten-day clock. If the property is not brought into compliance, Section 22-10(b) sets a civil penalty of one hundred dollars for a first nuisance notice, rising to two hundred fifty dollars for a second notice within twelve months, and five hundred dollars for each subsequent notice within that same twelve-month window.

Chapter 14's definitions section separately defines extermination as controlling and eliminating pests by removing harborage and food sources, poisoning, spraying, fumigating or trapping using methods the code enforcement administrator approves, and defines infestation as the presence of harmful insects, rodents or other pests within or around a dwelling.