Margate, FL Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Margate's code does not use the word rodent. Its pest rules sit in the Property Maintenance Standards, § 40.355, which apply to the exterior of every residential and nonresidential building, its accessory structures and the adjoining grounds, alongside the ICC Property Maintenance Code, and where standards conflict the more restrictive one prevails. Subsection (C)(2) requires every foundation, exterior wall, window, roof and other exterior surface to be free of holes, cracks, breaks, loose or rotted wood and any condition which might allow rain, moisture, vermin, pests or insects into the walls or occupied spaces.

Subsection (C)(3) requires roofs to be structurally sound and watertight. Subsection (C)(8) bans rubbish, brush, weeds, broken glass, stumps, roots, obnoxious growths, filth, garbage, trash and debris on any premises, including the sidewalks and swales beside it, unless the garbage is containerized in approved receptacles. Subsection (C)(11) requires pet excretion on paths, walks, driveways and parking areas to be removed. Subsection (F) limits stagnant water to two (2) inches for no more than twenty-four (24) hours after the most recent measurable rainfall, with an exemption for roofs and structures designed to retain water.

Subsection (E)(1) requires trash container areas to provide enough dumpsters and pickups to prevent accumulation. Subsection (H)(1)(a) requires landscaping to stay free of visible signs of insects and disease, and subsection (J) bans depositing rubbish, filth or garbage in canals, lakes and ponds. Citations are issued under § 1-8, while unsafe buildings follow the building code procedures.