Middletown, OH Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

01, adopted May 2, 1944 and still the operative dwelling-cleanliness rule in Chapter 1830, requires every dwelling and every part of it to be kept clean and free from any accumulation of dirt, filth, rubbish, garbage or similar matter, and specifically requires it be kept free from vermin or rodent infestation. The same duty extends outdoors: all yards, lawns and courts on the property must be similarly kept clean and free from rodent infestation, not just the building itself. Where a dwelling has multiple occupants, each occupant is individually responsible for keeping clean the portion of the property he or she occupies or exclusively controls, so a landlord is not automatically liable for a tenant's own unit.

If an occupant fails to keep their portion clean, the Commissioner of Health may send a written notice ordering abatement of the nuisance within a time stated in the notice, and no person may fail to comply with that notice. 04 goes unheeded for ten days, the city can execute the order itself and bill the owner, with the cost becoming a lien on the property. The chapter is administered by the Middletown Board of Health and its Commissioner of Health.