DeKalb County, GA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Article VII of Chapter 13, adopted by Ordinance No. 91-02, ties three duties together. Section 13-162(a) puts the ratproofing obligation on 'the owners of all business buildings,' who must have their buildings ratproofed and kept ratproofed. Section 13-162(b) applies the same standard going forward: any business building 'hereafter erected, enlarged or repaired' must be ratproofed and kept ratproofed. ' Section 13-161 defines ratproofing precisely: cement concrete, brick masonry laid in cement mortar, sheet metal, or nineteen-gauge wire cloth with a mesh no larger than one-half inch, strong enough to resist rat-gnawing, with exterior doors gapped no more than three-eighths of an inch when closed.

'Business building' is defined broadly to include hotels, apartment houses, office buildings, stores, restaurants, warehouses, garages, and even outbuildings like sheds and barns on business premises. Beyond ratproofing the structure itself, § 13-163 requires the occupant to store garbage in a director-approved ratproof metal container, keep the premises free of trash and debris that could harbor rats, and run a rat-control program the director approves; § 13-164 requires occupants to repair any break in the ratproofing unless it results from natural deterioration, and separately bars anyone, plumbers and utility companies included, from removing ratproofing and failing to restore it.

Under § 13-166, the director can extend these same duties to a private residence if rat infestation there poses a potential menace to public health.