Frederick County, VA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

The rodentproofing rule sits inside Chapter 122, Nuisances, and works together with Section 122-2's ban on letting noxious or offensive matter accumulate on any premises, building or structure unless it is treated, screened, covered or placed so it does not create a nuisance. Section 122-1 defines 'offensive matter' broadly to reach feathers, offal, dead animals or portions of them, meat wastes, blood, tankage, or any other putrescible organic matter, but the County carved out livestock and poultry manure so ordinary farm operations are not swept in.

Any container used to hold that kind of material, whether on a residential, commercial or agricultural property in the unincorporated county, must completely confine its contents and be built or maintained in a way that keeps out rodents and insects; the code does not specify a construction material or a wire-mesh gauge, so compliance turns on whether the container actually excludes vermin and stays sanitary, a judgment the Health Officer or Sheriff can make on inspection. Because Section 122-9 assigns enforcement of this section to both the Sheriff and the Health Officer, a complaint about an open bin attracting rats or insects can be reported to either office; they can require the owner to correct the container, and pursue a formal charge if the condition is not corrected after notice.