Cleveland County, NC Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

5-39 sets three linked rules for controlling infestation. First, every door from a dwelling unit to outdoor space must carry screens and a self-closing device, and every window or other opening used for ventilation must likewise be screened, protecting against mosquitoes, flies and other insects. Second, rodent control gets its own subsection: every basement or cellar window used for ventilation, and any other opening to a basement that could let rodents in, must be screened or otherwise fitted with a device that effectively prevents their entrance.

Third, the ordinance assigns responsibility for extermination once pests are present: the occupant of a single-unit dwelling is responsible for exterminating insects, rodents or other pests on the premises, and in a multi-unit dwelling each occupant is responsible when only their own unit is infested; once infestation reaches two or more units, or the shared or public parts of the building, responsibility shifts to the owner. 5-38(a) and (b), which require exterior walls, roofs, floors and interior walls to be kept rodent-proof as part of routine maintenance. 5-39(d) and (e) reinforce the same goal, requiring approved covered containers for both categories of waste in every dwelling and dwelling unit.