Cedar Rapids, IA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

01(a) of the Cedar Rapids Municipal Code lists 18 separate nuisances, and two speak directly to rodents and vermin: paragraph 10 bars storing, collecting, discharging, or depositing liquid waste, offal, filth, garbage, refuse, dead animals, or contaminated material anywhere it threatens health or safety or is conducive to the breeding and harborage of flies, rats or other vermin, and paragraph 11 separately declares that the mere presence of rats, flies or other vermin in or upon any premises is itself a nuisance, without requiring proof of any other violation.

03, the city can pursue voluntary or involuntary abatement: an officer or the Board of Health may first offer a written voluntary correction agreement setting a deadline and conditions, or skip straight to an involuntary notice of abatement that sets a compliance deadline and schedules an administrative hearing before a Hearing Examiner no less than 10 and no more than 30 days out. If the hearing examiner finds the nuisance exists, the city can abate it directly and bill the owner, with unpaid costs assessed against the property like a property tax.

1, Infestation), which requires structures to be kept free of insect and rodent infestation, prompt extermination by an approved, non-injurious process, and, if a re-inspection finds extermination inadequate, a written plan of action within five business days naming a certified pest control agency. 06, an infestation that constitutes an immediate threat to public health can be summarily abated by the city with or without prior notice.