Detroit City Code Chapter 17 authorizes the Health Department to abate rodent harborage on private property. Owners must rat-proof structures, eliminate food sources, and control infestations or face nuisance abatement at owner expense.
Under Detroit Code Chapter 17 (Health) and the Michigan Public Health Code (MCL §333.2433), the Detroit Health Department investigates rodent complaints citywide. Inspectors look for evidence of Norway rat or roof rat activity such as burrows, droppings, gnaw marks, and harborage in junk piles, overgrown vegetation, or unsecured trash. Property owners receive a correction notice typically allowing 14 to 30 days to rat-proof, bait, or remove harborage. Detroit's Improve Detroit app accepts rodent complaints alongside blight tickets. The city's Animal Care and Control division coordinates with DHD on commercial baiting in alleys. Failure to comply allows the city to perform abatement and lien the cost against the property tax bill.
Ignoring abatement notices, harboring rodents, accumulating refuse, or blocking inspection results in blight tickets up to $500, abatement liens, and possible misdemeanor citations under Chapter 17.
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