Jackson County, GA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 1824(a) requires every structure and exterior property to stay free of insect and rodent harborage and infestation; where pests turn up, they must be promptly exterminated by approved methods that will not injure human health, and precautions must follow to prevent reinfestation. Responsibility then splits by occupancy type. Section 1824(b) puts pest elimination on the owner before a structure is rented or leased. Section 1824(c) makes the occupant of a one-family dwelling or single-tenant nonresidential building responsible for keeping the premises pest-free, except where the infestation traces to a structural defect, in which case the owner is on the hook.

Section 1824(d) covers multi-unit buildings, rooming houses and multi-tenant nonresidential structures: the owner answers for public and shared areas, and both owner and occupant share responsibility if an occupant's own neglect caused the infestation in their space. The same Article 18 property-maintenance chapter reinforces exclusion at the building envelope, requiring foundation walls (Section 1836) and basement hatchways (Section 1847) to be maintained so as to keep rodents out. Complaints route to the Public Development Director, who under Section 2223 can enter property at reasonable times to inspect, and Section 1802's nuisance-abatement procedure lets the county pursue a magistrate court order if an infestation is not corrected after notice.