Guilford County, NC Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Screening rule
- All basement/cellar openings must block rodent entry
- Owner liable when
- Building not kept rodent-proof, or 2+ units infested
- Occupant liable when
- Only their own single unit is infested
- Inspection access
- One week's notice required (Sec. 15-85)
- Penalty
- Separate misdemeanor each day, Sec. 15-93(a)
Summary
Guilford County's housing code requires every basement or cellar opening that could let rodents inside to be screened or otherwise sealed. Extermination duty follows whoever caused the problem: a single occupant handles pests in their own unit, but an owner who lets a building go rodent-prone, or whose multi-unit building is infested in two or more units, must pay to exterminate.
(a) Rodent control. Every basement or cellar window used or intended to be used for ventilation, and every other opening to a basement which might provide an entry for rodents, shall be supplied with screens installed or such other approved device as will effectively prevent their entrance. (b) Infestation... Whenever infestation is caused by failure of the owner to maintain a building or dwelling in a rodent-proof or reasonably insect-proof condition, extermination shall be the responsibility of the owner. Whenever infestation exists in two or more of the dwelling units in any dwelling or in the shared or public parts of any dwelling containing two or more dwelling units, extermination shall be the responsibility of the owner.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 15-80(a) requires every basement or cellar window used for ventilation, and any other opening that might let rodents enter, to be supplied with screens or another approved device that effectively blocks their entry. Sec. 15-80(b) then assigns responsibility for extermination: an occupant of a single-unit dwelling handles pests within it, and in a multi-unit building an occupant is responsible only when their own unit is the sole one infested. But if infestation results from the owner's failure to keep the building rodent-proof or reasonably insect-proof, or if two or more units (or shared/public areas) are infested, the owner must pay for extermination.
Sec. 15-80(c) and (d) back this up by requiring approved rubbish and garbage containers in every dwelling, since uncontained waste is a common infestation source. Enforcement runs through the same Article IV process as other housing violations: the Public Officer or an Inspector may enter for examination under Sec. 15-85 (owners and occupants must give access at reasonable times, with one week's notice), and a documented violation follows the Sec. 15-86 complaint-and-hearing process before any repair order or citation issues.
Violations & Fines
A Public Officer may issue a warning first when a rodent-control violation can be fixed without prosecution, but a warning citation is barred once public health or safety is endangered, per Sec. 15-86(c)(1). Beyond that, citations carry a fine payable by a set date, and failing to appeal within 30 days waives appeal rights. Each day a rodent-proofing or infestation order goes unmet is a separate misdemeanor under Sec. 15-93(a), and refusing the Inspector entry under Sec. 15-85 is its own separate misdemeanor under Sec. 15-93(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for rodent extermination in a Guilford County rental, the landlord or the tenant?
What counts as a rodent-proofing violation in the county code?
Does the county inspector need advance notice to check for rodent problems?
What happens if I ignore a rodent-control citation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Guilford County
Compare Guilford County to another location·View the North Carolina public health rules overview
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