Rutherford County, TN Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Mobile home communities, MHP district
- Standard
- Free of litter/debris harboring rodents
- Also covers
- Flies, mosquitoes, other pests
- Waste stands
- Must prevent tipping and spillage
- County-wide rodent ordinance
- Not published
Summary
Unincorporated Rutherford County has no general county-wide rodent ordinance, but the Zoning Ordinance requires every mobile home community to stay free of litter and debris that could harbor rodents or breed flies and mosquitoes, under Section 405 E.5.f.
f. Insect and Rodent Control: Each mobile home park shall be maintained free of litter and accumulation of any kind of debris that may provide rodent harborage or breeding places for flies, mosquitoes, or other pests.
Full Breakdown
" The same subsection also requires each community to provide solid waste collection stands designed so containers cannot be tipped, to minimize spillage, and to allow cleaning around them, with any central waste container screened from view, which works alongside the rodent-control duty since uncollected or spilled waste is the most common rodent attractant a park operator controls directly. Rutherford County does not have a standalone animal-control, property-maintenance, or nuisance ordinance posted with operative text on its Planning and Engineering site; the Property Maintenance page describes enforcement responsibilities but does not publish rodent-specific ordinance language, so outside a mobile home community, rodent complaints in the unincorporated county are handled as general nuisance or health matters rather than under a dedicated zoning standard.
Violations & Fines
A mobile home community operator who lets litter or debris accumulate in violation of Section 405.E.5.f is subject to the same enforcement path as any other zoning violation: a written complaint to the Director of Building Codes, investigation, and penalties under Section 1410 with each day of the uncorrected condition treated as a separate offense. The Director may also withhold new utility service to the park until the condition is corrected, and may pursue an injunction if the violation continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rutherford County have a general rodent-control ordinance for the unincorporated area?
What does the mobile home park rodent rule actually require?
Who enforces the mobile home park insect and rodent standard?
Are waste containers regulated in mobile home parks too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rutherford County
Compare Rutherford County to another location·View the Tennessee public health rules overview
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