Dallas City Code Chapter 18 and Chapter 27 require property owners to control rats, mice, and other vermin. Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 343 also defines rodent harborage as a public nuisance subject to abatement.
Dallas requires owners and occupants to keep premises free of rodent harborage, including blocked openings, removed food sources, and sealed garbage containers. Code Compliance investigates complaints and may issue a notice of violation requiring abatement within a set period, often ten days. Failure to comply allows the city to abate the nuisance and assess costs as a property lien under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 342. Restaurants and multifamily properties face additional inspection scrutiny. The state nuisance statute, Health & Safety Code Chapter 343, supplies parallel county-level authority when city action is insufficient.
Failure to abate rodent infestation after notice can result in fines up to two thousand dollars per day, city-performed abatement at the owner's expense, and a lien recorded against the property until paid.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Code Compliance Services inspects food establishments under City Code Chapter 17 and posts numerical scores online. Unlike Los Angeles or New York, Da...
Dallas, TX
Dallas City Code Chapter 27 (Minimum Property Standards) addresses property blight and nuisance conditions. Sec. 27-11 establishes minimum standards and owne...
Dallas, TX
Dallas operates a comprehensive mosquito abatement program through Code Compliance Services and enforces property standards related to pest control under Cha...
See how Dallas's rodent control rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.