Colonie, NY Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Town Code § 62-45N, part of the Property Maintenance chapter's general requirements for all land in the Town, imposes a flat duty on owners and occupants: grounds, buildings and structures must be maintained so they stay free of vermin and rodent harborage and infestation. The rule works alongside § 62-45M's requirement that refuse containers be flytight, rodent-tight and watertight, and § 62-45L's requirement that vacated buildings be kept locked and secured so they do not become infested with vermin or rodents, meaning the Town treats improper trash storage and unsecured vacant structures as the two main drivers of rodent problems it targets directly in code.

Enforcement follows the same track as every other Article IV violation: under § 62-46, the Building Department Manager or a designee serves a notice of violation describing the infestation condition and gives the owner 14 days to remedy it (the shorter seven-day clock in the chapter applies only to lawn/weed cutting, not rodent harborage). The owner may request a hearing before the Town Board within five days of service, held before the 14-day period expires. If the owner fails to act, the Town may perform the remediation itself and recover its costs, including attorney's fees and disbursements, under § 62-48, with the amount collected as a lien on the property in the same manner as Town taxes.