Cecil County, MD Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 240-4N of the Minimum Livability Code requires every structure to be kept free from insect and rodent infestation, and where infestation is found, the area must be promptly exterminated by processes that are not injurious to human health. If infestation recurs or continues, as determined by the Code Official, the property must be exterminated by a licensed professional exterminator and proof of that work provided to the county; any occupant displacement needed during treatment is the property owner's responsibility. Section 240-16 allocates who must act: before renting or leasing a structure, the owner must handle any necessary extermination (§ 240-16I).

Once a single-family unit is occupied, the tenant is responsible for exterminating insects, rodents or other pests, unless the tenant can prove the infestation predated the tenancy (§ 240-16J). In a structure with two or more housing units, the property owner or operator bears responsibility for extermination throughout the building and premises, except where the infestation in a specific unit was caused by that tenant's own failure to take reasonable preventive action (§ 240-16K). Section 240-4B also separately requires the exterior of the structure, foundations, exterior walls and window and door frames to be maintained to exclude rodents, reinforcing that pest exclusion is a maintenance duty, not just a response to an active infestation. The Department of Permits and Inspections' Code Official investigates and enforces these requirements.