Tippecanoe County, IN Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- §§ 94.01-94.09
- Enforcing officer
- Tippecanoe County Health Officer
- First violation fine
- None (warning order)
- Repeat violation fines
- $50 then $100
- Maximum base fine
- $2,500 per offense
- Appeal window
- 60 days to Circuit/Superior Court
Summary
Tippecanoe County's Vector Control Ordinance puts the Health Officer in charge of abating rats, rodents, and other pests statewide under I.C. 16-41-33. The Health Officer can order a property owner to correct an infestation, and repeat violations within a chapter escalate from $50 to $100 civil penalties, capped at $2,500 per offense.
The Health Officer is authorized as part of his or her duties to issue an order in writing to any person and requiring said person to take all necessary, proper, and reasonable steps to control or abate vectors or pests and breeding places thereof which have adverse health significance to humans or domestic animals... No fine is payable the first time a violation is noted within any one-year period. For a second or subsequent violation... within any one-year period, a civil penalty is payable... The second time the same violation is determined within any one-year period, there will be a fine of $50. The third (and subsequent) time the same violation is determined within any one-year period, there will be a fine of $100.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-17: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 2025-25-CM, passed 8-1-25; and State legislation current through 2025 Acts, Pamphlet No. 3).
Full Breakdown
09, first passed as Ord. 94-17-CM on June 20, 1994 and amended by Ord. 2019-11-CM on April 1, 2019, is the Vector Control Ordinance of Tippecanoe County. 03 authorizes the Health Officer and staff to inspect property and compel correction of violations. C. 16-41-33-1 et seq. 06, the Health Officer can issue a written abatement order requiring a property owner to take necessary, proper, and reasonable steps to control or abate vectors, pests, or their breeding places, specifying both the required actions and a deadline.
08 authorizes the Health Officer to sue in Tippecanoe Circuit or Superior Court for injunctive relief plus recovery of enforcement costs and attorney's fees. 09 are open to the public with written notice, and a party has 60 days from the Health Officer's final order, or less if state law requires sooner, to petition the Circuit or Superior Court for relief.
Violations & Fines
Section 94.99(A)(2) sets the base fine for violating §§ 94.01 through 94.06 at not more than $2,500, with each day past the correction deadline counting as a separate offense. Subsection (C) adds an escalating civil-penalty schedule for repeat violations within one year: no fine the first time, $50 for a second violation of the same requirement, and $100 for a third or subsequent violation. Violators also become liable to the county for expenses, losses, or damages from the violation, including reasonable attorney fees, under § 94.99(A)(3).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who enforces rodent and pest control rules in Tippecanoe County?
What happens if I ignore a vector abatement order?
Is there a fine the first time a rodent problem is found?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tippecanoe County
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