Cary, NC Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 8-124(d)
- Single-unit duty
- Occupant must exterminate
- Owner duty trigger
- Rodentproofing failure or shared-area spread
- Enforced by
- Town housing inspector
Summary
Cary's housing code makes occupants responsible for exterminating insects, rodents and pests in their unit, but shifts that duty to the owner when infestation stems from a rodentproofing failure or spreads across shared areas.
(d) Infestation. (1) Every occupant of housing consisting of a single dwelling unit shall be responsible for the extermination of any insects, rodents or other pests therein or on the premises... (3) If infestation is caused by failure of the owner to maintain housing in a rodentproof or reasonably insectproof condition, or if infestation exists in two or more of the dwelling units in any housing in the shared or public parts of any housing containing two or more units, extermination shall be the responsibility of the owner.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2023 S-87_S-57: Current through local ordinance 2022-Code-05, passed 11-17-2022 and effective 11-17-2022 | LDO: Current through local ordinance 2022-LDO-04, passed 11-17-22 and effective 11-17-22).
Full Breakdown
Under the Town of Cary's Minimum Housing Standards, occupants of a single-unit dwelling must exterminate insects, rodents, and other pests on the premises themselves. In multi-unit housing, an occupant is responsible only when infestation is confined to their own unit. But if the owner failed to keep the building rodentproof or reasonably insectproof, or pests have spread into shared or public areas or two or more units, extermination becomes the owner's responsibility instead. The town housing inspector enforces this article across Cary, which sits in both Wake and Chatham Counties.
Violations & Fines
Enforced by Cary's housing inspector under Article V; Sec. 8-124(e) also allows enforcement under Chapter 18 of the Town Code of Ordinances covering nuisance violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to get rid of rodents in a Cary rental?
Does this rule apply outside Cary town limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cary
Compare Cary to another location·View the North Carolina public health rules overview
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Rodent Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wake County handle rodent control.