Jupiter, FL Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 21-168, Condition of structure, requires every dwelling in town to be watertight, weatherproof, rodent-proof and insect-proof, and in good repair, as a baseline standard regardless of whether pests are already present. The foundation, every exterior wall and the roof must be reasonably watertight and rodent-proof and must adequately support the building at all times. Windows, exterior doors and basement hatchways must likewise be reasonably rodent-proof and kept in sound condition, and any gap or deterioration that lets rodents in is itself a violation of this section, independent of the town's general pest-responsibility rules in §§ 21-110 and 21-111.

Section 21-169 extends the rodent-proofing duty to how trash is stored. Outdoor rubbish must sit in fly-tight, rodent-proof, non-flammable and reasonably waterproof storage boxes or containers; no loose rubbish or garbage may be strewn on a basement or cellar floor, or on the ground around or under a dwelling; and every outdoor garbage container must be kept and located so odors don't reach any dwelling unit, since uncontained food waste is what draws rodents in the first place. Rubbish kept in a basement, cellar or enclosed shed must also be in non-flammable containers.

These structural and storage duties sit alongside, but are separate from, the extermination duties in §§ 21-110 and 21-111: an owner must eliminate an existing infestation before renting a unit and whenever infestation spreads through shared areas of a multi-unit building, while an occupant is only on the hook for extermination in a single-family unit that is already rodent-proof. If the failure to seal the building caused the infestation, the owner remains responsible even in an occupied single unit.