Washington County, MD Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 2-206(e) of the Livability Code splits extermination responsibility between owners and tenants based on building size. Before renting or leasing a structure, the property owner must undertake any necessary extermination (§ 2-206(e)(1)). Once occupied, a tenant in a single-unit structure is responsible for exterminating any insects, rodents, or other pests in the structure or on the premises (§ 2-206(e)(2)). In a structure with two or more housing units, the property owner or operator must exterminate pests throughout the building and grounds, unless an infestation inside one unit results from that tenant's failure to take reasonable preventive action, in which case the responsibility shifts to the tenant (§ 2-206(e)(3)).

The premises overall must stay free from infestation (§ 2-207(b)(2)), and every exterior surface, foundation, wall, and roof must be maintained in a condition that excludes rodents and other pests (§ 2-208(c)). Inside the structure, § 2-209(e) requires any infestation to be exterminated promptly using processes that are not injurious to human health, and where infestation is continuing or repeated, the Code Official can require the installation of rodent- and vermin-proof walls built to the Building Code (§ 2-209(e)(3)). The Permits and Inspections Department's Code Official enforces these standards and may inspect a unit with the tenant's consent, on reasonable notice, or under a court order (§ 1-103(c)).