Chula Vista, CA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

CVMC 8.16.140 puts the duty squarely on the business: "The owner, operator or manager of every establishment shall take every precaution to keep the premises free and rid of rats, mice, roaches, ants and other vermin and pests." When the health officer finds an establishment infested with rodents, vermin, or pests, the section requires written notice to the owner, operator, or manager stating that the infestation "constitutes a public nuisance and endangers the public health and safety," and that it must be abated within 30 days of the notice.

If the 30-day deadline passes without abatement, that failure is itself a violation of the food handling chapter, and the health officer is directed to "suspend the permit summarily and close such establishment until said nuisance has been abated." This sits within Chapter 8.16 (Food Handling Regulations), which also requires establishments to keep garbage and trash in fly-tight, covered containers on a washable foundation, and to remove excess waste to a screened room built of 14-mesh screen wire when trimmings or decomposable waste accumulate, under CVMC 8.16.100, measures aimed at the same rodent- and vermin-harborage risk.

Enforcement authority for the whole chapter rests with the health officer under CVMC 8.04.050, who may inspect any regulated establishment to determine its health conditions, and obstruction of that inspection is separately prohibited.