Buncombe County, NC Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Sec. 10-159(7) places the extermination duty specifically on owners of "multi-dwelling building or boarding house dwelling" properties in the unincorporated county, one of the minimum standards the enforcement officer applies under the Rental Housing Ordinance (Ord. No. 98-1-6, adopted January 20, 1998) when judging whether a dwelling is fit for human habitation. The companion sanitation clause, Sec. 10-159(6), separately obligates every owner of a dwelling or rental lot to keep the property clean, safe, and sanitary, including outbuildings and appurtenances. Where the owner fails to control an insect, rodent, or pest problem and evidence of infestation is found, the enforcement officer can order extermination, but the work must be done by a licensed exterminator rather than the owner personally, and the owner must then submit the exterminator's statement of action back to the enforcement officer as proof the treatment happened.

The ordinance caps what can be demanded: monthly extermination treatment is the maximum an owner can be required to provide, so the officer cannot order more frequent servicing even for a persistent infestation. As with other Sec. 10-159 standards, inspections are complaint-driven under Sec. 10-163, conducted at reasonable hours with proper credentials, and documented on a standardized correction order that cites the violated subsection and gives the owner a deadline before the county escalates to a formal complaint and hearing under Sec. 10-164.