Kokomo, IN Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Chapter 152, Kokomo's minimum housing code, addresses rodents in two related sections. Section 152.20 flatly prohibits maintaining, or permitting to become, a rat harborage in any dwelling, dwelling unit, structure, yard, lot, or premises, or any part of one, and it cross-references § 152.63 for the specific screening duty. Section 152.63 requires every basement or cellar window used or intended for ventilation, and every other opening into a basement that might let rodents enter, to carry a screen or other device that will effectively keep them out.

The related structural duty in § 152.21 requires every foundation, floor, wall, ceiling, and roof to be reasonably weathertight, watertight, and rodentproof, and kept in good repair, so a deteriorated foundation that lets rodents through can be cited alongside an unscreened basement opening. These duties fall on the owner or operator of the dwelling under the housing code's general enforcement scheme, which the Enforcement Officer administers along with the rest of Chapter 152's habitability standards, including heating, lighting, and screening requirements for doors and windows against insects.

There is no permit or inspection fee attached to rodent protection itself; the obligation is a standing maintenance duty that applies as long as the structure stands, and a code violation can be cited any time the Enforcement Officer finds an unscreened opening or an active harborage condition on the property.