La Mesa, CA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 7.20.070 governs how refuse and garbage must sit between collections in La Mesa. Subsection (a) requires that all refuse and garbage be stored so that no portion of the material can be transferred off the lot by natural forces, and the code specifically flags storage that is attractive to rodents or insects as the standard the property owner must avoid. The storage area itself must be located according to the city's administrative standards and regulations and screened from view from public ways and adjoining lots, so an open, unscreened pile visible from the street or a neighbor's yard is itself a violation independent of any rodent activity.

The section sits inside Chapter 7.20, Refuse Collection, alongside Section 7.20.075's container rules, which separately require that filled receptacles be kept clean of accumulated grease or decomposing material on their exterior and covers, since dirty containers are as much a vector attractant as loose refuse. Enforcement runs through the city's general nuisance authority: Section 7.20.025 already declares garbage or refuse deposited or disposed of contrary to the chapter a public nuisance detrimental to public health, safety and welfare, giving code enforcement grounds to act on a rodent-attracting storage complaint beyond the fine itself.