Glendale, CA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Rubbish clearance
- 18 inches off ground/floor
- Screening mesh
- 1/4-inch hardware cloth
- Ratproofing applies to
- grain, slaughterhouse, food-handling buildings
- Enforcement
- Health officer written order
- Default penalty
- misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 months
Summary
Glendale bans keeping any building, lot, vehicle or premises in a condition that breeds or harbors rats or mice, and requires rubbish that could attract them to sit at least 18 inches off the ground. Municipal Code Chapter 8.48 lets the health officer order extermination and ratproofing whenever a property becomes infested.
No person shall own, use, maintain, cause or permit another person to use or maintain any building, lot, premises, vehicle or any other place in such an unsanitary condition as to permit the breeding or harboring therein or thereon of rats or mice.
B. Accumulation of Rubbish. No person owning, using or maintaining any building, lot, premises, vehicle or other place shall permit or cause or permit another person to permit the accumulation of any rubbish material that may serve as a harborage for rats or mice, unless such material is elevated above the ground or floor with a clear intervening space of at least eighteen inches thereunder.
C. Notice to Exterminate. If any material becomes infested with rats or mice or becomes a harborage for rats or mice, the health officer may serve notice upon the owner or person using or occupying the premises on which such material is located to exterminate such rodents or to elevate the material above the ground or floor, with a clear intervening space of at least eighteen inches thereunder. No owner or person using or occupying such premises and receiving such notice shall fail to comply with the notice served upon him or her within a reasonable time to be specified in such notice. (Prior code § 17-7)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4983441; v20 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
010 of the Glendale Municipal Code makes it unlawful to keep any building, lot, premises or vehicle in an unsanitary condition that permits rats or mice to breed or find harborage there, and separately bars letting rubbish accumulate where it could shelter rodents unless the material is elevated at least eighteen inches above the ground or floor. 020 goes further for specific uses: any building used to store, handle, prepare or sell grain or grain products, run a poultry or rabbit slaughterhouse, or manufacture, prepare, store, handle or display food for human or animal consumption must be ratproofed, a requirement that reaches back to buildings from before December 1, 1949 only if the health officer later finds them infested. 4 pounds per square yard, under wall coverings at the floor line of exterior stud walls.
Violations & Fines
When a property becomes infested or is found harboring rats or mice, the health officer serves a written order to exterminate and, if needed, ratproof or elevate the offending material, giving the owner or occupant a 'reasonable time' stated in the notice to comply. Chapter 8.48 is not on the list of code sections downgraded to an infraction, so failing to comply after notice is a misdemeanor under Section 1.20.010(A), punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as illegal rodent harborage in Glendale?
Which Glendale buildings must be ratproofed?
What happens if I ignore a Glendale health officer's rodent notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glendale
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