Lawrence, MA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Occupant duty
- Keep own unit free of insects/rodents
- Owner duty
- Common areas, premises, rooming houses
- Structural rule
- Rodent-proof construction (15.12.190)
- First-day penalty
- $300.00
- Continuing penalty
- $25.00 per additional day
Summary
Lawrence's Housing Code makes tenants responsible for keeping their own unit free of insects and rodents and owners responsible for common areas, the whole premises, and rodent-proof construction. Municipal Code 15.12.210 and 15.12.190 require extermination and structural rodent-proofing, enforced by the board of health.
15.12.210 - Insect and rodent control. A.The occupant of each dwelling unit shall maintain the unit free from insects and rodents, and shall be responsible for exterminating them. B.The owner of a dwelling shall maintain, free from all insects and rodents, all hallways, passageways and stairways used or intended for use by the occupants of more than one dwelling unit or rooming unit, and the premises of the dwelling, and he or she shall be responsible for exterminating all such pests in those common areas. ... D.Extermination shall be accomplished by eliminating the harborage places of insects and rodents, by removing or making inaccessible materials that may serve as their food or breeding ground, by poisoning, spraying, fumigating, trapping or by any other recognized and legal pest-elimination method approved by the board of health.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 8).
Full Breakdown
210, Insect and rodent control, splits responsibility three ways: the occupant of each dwelling unit must maintain that unit free from insects and rodents and is responsible for exterminating them; the owner must keep all hallways, passageways, stairways and the premises free of insects and rodents and is responsible for extermination there, plus inside any unit if the owner's poor maintenance let pests in or if pests exist in two or more units; and the owner of a rooming house must keep it and its premises pest-free.
190 requires every owner to install and maintain the foundation, floors, walls, doors, windows, ceilings, roof, staircases, porches, chimneys and other structural elements "rodent proof, watertight and free from chronic dampness," and to keep every interior structural element free of holes, cracks or loose plaster that could create insect or rodent harborage. 040), with the health department's code enforcement division handling inspections.
Violations & Fines
Housing Code violations, including failures under 15.12.210 and 15.12.190, are enforced under General Laws Chapter 40, Section 21D per 15.12.080, which sets the penalty at $300.00 for the first day of an offense and $25.00 for each successive day the offense continues. Inspectional services personnel, inspectors, the commissioner, assistant commissioner, the enforcement prosecutor, and fire or police personnel are all designated enforcing persons for the chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for pest control in a Lawrence rental?
Does Lawrence require rodent-proof construction?
What penalty applies for a pest-control violation?
Who enforces the rodent control rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lawrence
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