Kent County, DE Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Pre-rental duty
- Owner exterminates before renting/leasing/selling
- Tenant duty
- Tenant keeps unit ratproof after move-in
- Shared areas
- Owner handles pests in multi-unit common areas
- Penalty
- $25-$1,000 fine or up to 30 days jail
- Severe cases
- Infested unit may be condemned (§143-27.D)
Summary
Kent County's Housing Code makes owners responsible for exterminating insects, rats and other vermin before renting, leasing or selling a structure, while tenants must keep the unit ratproof once occupied, under § 143-21. Exterior grounds and shared multi-unit areas carry separate owner and occupant duties, and infested units can be condemned.
Owner's responsibility. The owner of any structure shall be responsible for extermination of insects, rats, vermin or other pests within the structure prior to renting, leasing or selling the structure. ... Tenant-occupant's responsibility. The tenant-occupant of any structure shall be responsible for the continued ratproof condition of the structure, and if the tenant occupant fails to maintain the ratproof condition, the cost of extermination shall be the responsibility of the tenant-occupant.
Full Breakdown
Kent County treats rodent and pest control as a shared owner/occupant duty spread across several Housing Code sections. A puts the burden on the owner to exterminate insects, rats, vermin or other pests inside a structure before it is rented, leased or sold, so a landlord cannot hand over an infested unit and leave the tenant to solve it. B shifts responsibility to the tenant-occupant for keeping the structure ratproof, and if the tenant lets that condition lapse, the cost of the resulting extermination falls on the tenant.
D puts extermination in the shared or public areas of a multi-unit building, rooming house or multiple occupancy back on the owner or operator. I requires prompt extermination whenever insects or rats are found indoors, with precautions taken afterward to prevent reinfestation. The county's code official enforces all of these standards under § 143-26.
Violations & Fines
A pest or rodent infestation left uncorrected after a code official's written notice under § 143-28 is a misdemeanor under § 143-31.B: a fine of $25 to $1,000, up to 30 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued infestation a separate offense prosecuted in the Justice of the Peace Court. If the condition renders the structure unfit for occupancy under § 143-27.D, the code official may condemn and placard the unit. Owners and tenants may appeal any order to the Community Board of Appeals within 10 days under § 143-32.D.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays for rat extermination in a Kent County rental, landlord or tenant?
Who handles pest control in the common areas of a Kent County apartment building?
Can Kent County condemn a house for a rat infestation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kent County
Compare Kent County to another location·View the Delaware public health rules overview
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