Morgan County, IN Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Responsible parties
- Owner and tenant, jointly or separately
- Standard
- No food, shelter or breeding place for vectors
- Garbage/rubbish rule
- Stored so it can't feed rodents
- Initial fine
- Up to $250
- Repeat fine
- Up to $2,500
Summary
Owners and tenants of rental dwellings in unincorporated Morgan County, Indiana must keep garbage and rubbish stored so it cannot feed rodents, and must maintain the property so rats, mosquitoes and other disease vectors have no food, shelter or breeding place, under the county's residential rental property regulations.
VECTOR. An organism that carries disease-causing microorganisms from one host to another. ... INFESTATION. ... The presence within or around a dwelling of any insect, rodent or other pest. ... All dwellings and dwelling units shall be maintained in a sanitary condition and fit for human occupancy. All garbage and rubbish must be stored or disposed of in a clean, safe and sanitary manner. All garbage and rubbish shall be stored and disposed of in a manner that does not permit it to be a food source for rodents or other vectors. (2) All inhabited or uninhabited property shall be maintained in a manner to prevent conditions in which rats, mosquitoes or other disease vectors have food, shelter or a place to breed. An owner and a tenant shall be responsible and obligated to maintain the dwelling unit in compliance with this provision. (3) A violation of this provision may be enforced against both an owner and/or a tenant, either individually, jointly or joint and severally, pursuant to § 150.18.
Full Breakdown
Morgan County Code § 150.15 defines a VECTOR as an organism that carries disease-causing microorganisms from one host to another, and INFESTATION as the presence within or around a dwelling of any insect, rodent or other pest, setting up the sanitation standard that follows. Section 150.17(B)(1) requires every dwelling and dwelling unit to be maintained in a sanitary condition fit for human occupancy, with all garbage and rubbish stored or disposed of in a clean, safe and sanitary manner so that it cannot serve as a food source for rodents or other vectors.
Section 150.17(B)(2) goes further, requiring that inhabited or uninhabited rental property be maintained so that rats, mosquitoes or other disease vectors have no food, shelter or place to breed, and makes both the owner and the tenant responsible and obligated to keep the dwelling unit in compliance. Section 150.17(B)(3) specifically allows the county to enforce a violation of this sanitation and vector-control provision against an owner and a tenant individually, jointly, or jointly and severally, under the enforcement procedure in § 150.18.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the rodent/vector sanitation standard is enforced through § 150.18's inspection and notice-of-violation process, and § 150.99(C) fines an initial violation of §§ 150.15 through 150.18 up to $250, rising to up to $2,500 for a second or subsequent violation, with each day the unsanitary condition continues counted as a separate offense chargeable against the owner, the tenant, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for rodent control in a Morgan County rental?
What does the rental sanitation rule say about garbage?
What is the fine for a rodent/sanitation violation at a Morgan County rental?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Morgan County
Compare Morgan County to another location·View the Indiana public health rules overview
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