Doral, FL Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Exterior standard
- No rodent/vermin breeding or harborage (§5-139)
- Screening requirement
- Openings under 4 ft must be screened
- Single-unit duty
- Occupant exterminates their own unit
- Owner duty trigger
- 3+ units infested, or owner-caused infestation
- Penalty
- Each day of noncompliance a separate offense
Summary
Doral's Minimum Housing Code requires every property to stay free of rodent and vermin harborage. City Code § 5-139 bars breeding and infestation sites on exterior areas, and § 5-190 requires structures to be screened and sealed against rodents up to four feet above ground.
Exterior property areas shall be kept free from sources of insect, vermin, and rodent breeding, harborage, and infestation. Where insect, rodent, or vermin breeding areas, harborage or infestation exist, such areas, harborage, or infestation shall be eliminated. ... Every occupant of a single dwelling unit shall be responsible for the extermination of any rodents, vermin or other pests therein or on the premises. ... The exterior of every structure shall be so maintained as to be vermin and rodent free. All exterior windows that are not fixed, doors, and other openings, up to four feet above ground level, shall be screened or protected with acceptable wire mesh or other approved materials. Defects, cracks, or holes shall be tightly sealed to prevent the entrance of vermin and rodents.
Full Breakdown
Section 5-139 requires exterior property areas to be kept free from sources of insect, vermin, and rodent breeding, harborage, and infestation, and orders that any breeding area, harborage, or infestation that does exist be eliminated. Section 5-190 pushes the same standard onto the structure itself: every building must be maintained so its exterior is vermin and rodent free, every non-fixed window, door, and other opening up to four feet above ground level must be screened or protected with wire mesh or another approved material, and any defect, crack, or hole must be tightly sealed to keep rodents and vermin out.
Responsibility for actually exterminating an infestation is split by Section 5-146: the occupant of a single dwelling unit is responsible for exterminating rodents, vermin, or other pests on their own premises, and an occupant in a multi-unit building is responsible too, unless the infestation was caused by the owner's failure to maintain the building, or the building has three or more units infested at once, in which case the owner must carry out the extermination for the whole building.
Violations & Fines
These sections sit inside the Minimum Housing Code, so violations carry the penalties in Section 5-60: a knowing and willful violation is punishable on conviction, and each day the infestation or unscreened opening persists counts as a separate offense. Code compliance can order the responsible party, whether occupant or owner under Section 5-146's cost-shifting rule, to correct the condition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for pest control in a Doral rental, me or my landlord?
What counts as a rodent harborage violation on my property?
Does Doral require sealing up gaps that let rodents into a building?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Doral
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Doral to another location·View the Florida public health rules overview
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