Lancaster, CA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 8.28.030 lists the specific conditions Lancaster treats as a public nuisance. Among them: overgrown vegetation "likely to harbor, or promote the presence of, rats, vermin and insects," and tree branches left within five feet of a structure's rooftop, which the code calls out by name as a rodent-access hazard. The same section reaches stored combustibles, firewood, lumber, packing boxes and tree trimmings kept on a property when the accumulation harbors rats, vermin or insects. A code enforcement officer designated by the city manager investigates and can order abatement by rehabilitation, removal or termination of the condition under Section 8.28.050. Owners who fail to act face the notice-and-appeal process in Sections 8.28.090 through 8.28.100, and the city can abate the condition itself and bill the responsible person for the cost.

Vacant residential and commercial properties carry a sharper duty. Under the vacant property standards in Section 9.55.020(C)(12), "pest and rodent infestation(s) shall be abated on the property and documentation shall be provided verifying the abatement from a licensed professional," a paper trail the chief can demand at any inspection. Vacant properties must also keep groundcover trimmed to six inches and shrubs to no more than 36 inches, conditions that independently reduce rodent harborage, and the chief may increase inspection frequency, billed at the city's rental inspection fee, if a property becomes attractive to pests or trespassers.

Violations of Chapter 8.28 are prosecuted under Section 8.28.040: any person who violates the chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor unless the city's prosecuting attorney elects to charge it as an infraction, and each day a nuisance condition continues counts as a separate offense.