Florida Statute §381.0072 makes Jacksonville property owners responsible for controlling rats and rodents that create a sanitary nuisance, enforced locally through the city's Municipal Code Compliance Division and the Florida Department of Health in Duval County. Bait stations and structural exclusion are the standard remedies.
Under FL §381.0072 and Jacksonville Ord. Code Chapter 518, an owner allowing rodent harborage on the property creates a sanitary nuisance subject to abatement. Common triggers include unsealed garbage, fallen citrus and acorn-fed yards, dense overgrowth, woodpiles, and untreated structural openings. Code Compliance issues a notice with a deadline (typically 7-14 days) to install bait stations, seal entry points smaller than 1/4 inch, and remove harborage. Roof rats and Norway rats are both common in Jacksonville's mature tree canopy and stormwater corridors. Multi-tenant properties may require an integrated pest-management plan. Repeat violations can be referred to the Municipal Code Enforcement Board.
Failure to abate a rodent infestation after notice triggers civil fines starting at $250 per day, abatement at owner expense via city contractor, code-enforcement liens against the property, and mandatory inspection follow-up until cleared.
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