Danbury, CT Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Refuse containers
- 2 min. 20-gal, rodentproof, covered
- Storage clearance
- 18 inches off the ground
- Owner-caused infestation
- Owner pays for extermination
- Applies to
- Owners and occupants alike
Summary
Danbury property owners and occupants must store trash in covered, rodentproof containers and may not let materials pile up in ways that create rat harborage, under the city's Housing Code.
No owner of a dwelling unit shall store, place, or allow to accumulate any materials which may serve as food for rats in a site accessible to rats. No owner of a dwelling shall permit accumulation of rubbish, boxes, lumber, scrap metal, or any other materials in such a manner that may provide a rat harborage in a dwelling or about the shared or public areas of a dwelling or its premises. Materials stored by the owner or permitted to be stored by the owner shall be stacked neatly in piles elevated at least eighteen (18) inches above the ground floor.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 20-168 requires owners of buildings with three or more units to supply rodentproof, insectproof refuse containers with tight-fitting covers, at least two 20-gallon containers per unit. Owners and occupants alike are barred from storing food-attracting materials where rats can reach them, and any stored rubbish, boxes or scrap must be stacked at least 18 inches off the ground. Where infestation results from an owner's failure to keep a building rodentproof, the owner must pay for extermination; the same duty falls on occupants for a single infested unit.
Violations & Fines
Owners who let refuse or storage create rat harborage, or who skip required extermination after owner-caused infestation, are enforceable under the Housing Code's abatement-order and penalty provisions in §§ 20-136: 20-137.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to provide trash containers in a Danbury rental?
Who pays for extermination if there's a rat problem?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Danbury
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