Kern County, CA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Kern County Code Section 8.28.110
- Who is liable
- Any person in possession, charge or control
- Trigger
- Waste that attracts or harbors rodents/insects
- Legal effect
- Automatically deemed a public nuisance
- Enforcement officer
- Public works director or designee
- Adopted
- Ord. G-7066 Section 4, 2004
Summary
Kern County Code Section 8.28.110 makes every person in possession or control of a structure or lot responsible for keeping it free of waste accumulations that attract or harbor rodents and insects. A property left in that condition is legally a public nuisance, exposing the owner to abatement action rather than just a warning.
Every person in possession, charge or control of any structure, property or other premises shall keep it free and clear of all accumulations of discarded materials which may produce odor, attract or harbor insects or rodents or provide a breeding place for them, be offensive to the senses, invites plundering, promotes blight and deterioration, creates a fire hazard or otherwise be or become a hazard to health, safety and welfare of the public. Any structure, property or premises not kept free of such accumulations is a public nuisance and is subject to the abatement procedures set forth in this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 59 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
" The duty falls on "every person in possession, charge or control" of the structure, property or premises, not just the titleholder, so a tenant, property manager or lessee can be held responsible alongside an absentee owner. 44 uses for public nuisances generally, including a mailed order to correct the condition, an opportunity to request a hearing, and county-performed abatement billed back to the owner if the deadline passes.
Violations & Fines
A property found to be harboring rodents under Section 8.28.110 is a public nuisance by definition, which lets the county skip straight to an abatement order rather than treat it as a first-time warning. The public works director's enforcement officers can issue an on-the-spot citation for violations they observe, and unresolved rodent-attracting accumulations can be abated by county forces or a contractor with the cost, plus interest, charged back to the responsible owner or occupant through the Chapter 8.44 nuisance process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited for rodents even if I don't own the property?
Is a rodent problem automatically a public nuisance in Kern County?
Who enforces the rodent-harborage rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kern County
California rules heatmap·Compare Kern County to another location·View the California public health rules overview
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