Chattanooga property owners must keep premises free of rodent harborage. Hamilton County Health Department investigates rat complaints, and city code enforcement can cite owners whose junk, overgrowth, or stored garbage attracts rodents to neighboring properties.
Chattanooga combines property-maintenance code enforcement with Hamilton County Health Department vector control to address rats, mice, and other rodents. Owners must store garbage in rodent-proof containers, keep pet food sealed, eliminate harborage like junk piles or dense brush, and seal holes in foundations and crawlspaces. When a rat infestation crosses property lines, the Health Department can issue an abatement notice requiring extermination and structural repairs. Chronic rat conditions on rental properties can trigger additional code-enforcement action, including a daily-recurring fine until the violation is cured.
Failure to abate rodent harborage can result in a Health Department abatement order, code-enforcement fines, and the city or county arranging extermination at the owner's expense as a property lien.
See how Chattanooga's rodent control rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.