Davis County, UT Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- Rodent-attractive material must be in closed containers
- Governing section
- Davis County Code § 15.20.120
- Junk/fuel storage fence height
- 6 feet minimum, sight-blocking
- Hay storage setback
- 40 ft from street, 50 ft from home
- Enforcement
- Davis County Community Development code enforcement
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
Summary
Davis County Code Section 15.20.120 bans leaving rodent- or insect-attracting materials outdoors: anything edible by or attractive to vermin has to go in a closed container. The same section forces junk yards, fuel and raw-material storage behind a solid six-foot fence, and keeps stored hay 40 feet from the street and 50 feet from a neighbor's home.
Outdoor Storage and Waste Disposal. Unless otherwise specifically permitted, no highly flammable or explosive liquids, solids or gasses shall be stored in bulk above ground. Other outdoor storage facilities for junk yards, fuel, raw materials, and products, except for agricultural products, and permitted above grade waste disposal areas shall be enclosed by a fence or wall at least six feet in height and impervious to sight, adequate to conceal such facilities from adjacent property and the street unless expressly exempted by this chapter indicated by the use of the phrase, "need not be fenced," appearing after the use so exempted. ... No materials or wastes shall be deposited upon any property in such form or manner that they may be transferred off such property by natural causes or forces. All materials or wastes which might cause fumes or dust, or which constitute a fire hazard, or which may be edible by, or otherwise be attractive to rodents or insects may not be stored outdoors unless put in closed containers.
Full Breakdown
120, Limitations On External Effects Of Uses, is the county's outdoor-storage control and it reaches rodent harborage directly. Under its Outdoor Storage and Waste Disposal provisions, no material or waste can sit on a property where wind, water or other natural forces could carry it off site, and anything that could cause fumes or dust, create a fire hazard, or be edible by or attractive to rodents or insects cannot be stored outdoors at all unless it is placed in a closed container. The same section requires junk yards, fuel, raw materials and above-grade waste disposal areas (agricultural products aside) to be screened by a fence or wall at least six feet high and solid enough to block the view from the street and neighboring property, built and kept looking presentable from the street.
Open storage of hay or other agricultural products gets its own buffer: at least 40 feet from a public street and 50 feet from any dwelling on an adjoining property. A yard or open space kept to satisfy the county's setback rules cannot double as a junk, debris or commercial-equipment storage area either. These rules apply county-wide in the unincorporated area and are enforced by Davis County Community Development through code enforcement complaints and site inspections.
Violations & Fines
Storing rodent-attracting material outdoors without a closed container is a zoning violation, so it runs through Davis County's general ordinance penalty at Section 1.08.010: a Class B misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both. Section 1.08.020 treats every day the violation continues as a separate offense, so leaving open hay, feed or trash uncontained keeps adding new counts until it is corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to keep pet food or garbage in a sealed bin outdoors?
How far does stored hay have to be from my neighbor's house?
Who enforces the outdoor storage rule if a neighbor's yard is attracting rodents?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Davis County
Compare Davis County to another location·View the Utah public health rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.