Columbia, SC Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Article VI defines a "business building" broadly, covering any structure adapted for a transaction of business, professional service, amusement, display, sale, storage or labor, from hotels and offices to warehouses, markets, theaters and factories, along with their outbuildings, sheds and barns. Section 8-262 puts the ratproofing and rat-eradication duty on those buildings specifically, under the health officer's direction. When the health officer finds evidence of rat infestation or an unratproofed building, Section 8-263 requires written notice giving the owner at least 15 days to complete the work, with noncompliance a misdemeanor under Section 1-5; Section 8-264 separately lets the health officer order the occupant to eradicate an active infestation, and if suitable measures aren't started within three days under Section 8-265, the health officer can perform the work directly and bill the owner or occupant a monthly charge for labor, materials and equipment under Section 8-266.

Ratproofed buildings must stay that way, with owners required to repair breaks or leaks under Section 8-267, and the health officer can make unannounced inspections plus periodic checks at intervals of no more than 45 days under Section 8-268. Several related sections reach every property in the city, not just business buildings: Section 8-271 requires animal feed to be kept in rat-free, ratproof containers; Section 8-272 bars dumping dead animals or waste vegetable or animal matter anywhere in the city; Section 8-273 requires lumber, bricks and similar stored materials on any premises, improved or vacant, to sit on racks elevated at least 18 inches off the ground; and Section 8-275 bans letting garbage, rubbish or trash accumulate anywhere it could feed or shelter rats.