Mount Prospect, IL Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Mount Prospect Village Code § 23.1403 (subsections S and V)
- Fine per nuisance
- $100.00 in the Appendix A, Division III schedule
- Garbage or debris trigger
- More than seven (7) days, or attracting flies, vermin or rats
- Standard abatement period
- Fourteen (14) days after notice (§ 23.1404 B)
- Weeds defined as
- Vegetation in excess of eight inches (8")
- Abatement authority
- Chief of police and environmental health coordinator (§ 19.310)
Summary
The Village of Mount Prospect treats garbage or debris that piles up for more than seven (7) days, or that attracts flies, vermin or rats, as a nuisance under Section 23.1403 V of the Village Code. Vegetation likely to harbor rats, vermin or other pests is a nuisance under subsection S. Each carries a $100.00 fine in the Appendix A schedule.
In addition to those actions which are elsewhere in this code declared to be and constitute a nuisance, it is a nuisance for any person within the territorial jurisdiction of the village and within one-half (1/2) mile of the corporate limits: ... ... S. To cause or allow dead, decayed, diseased, or hazardous trees, weeds, hedges, and overgrown or uncultivated vegetation which are in or create a hazardous condition, are an obstruction to pedestrian or vehicular traffic, conducive to crime, or are likely to harbor rats, vermin, or other pests. ... ... V. To cause or allow garbage and/or debris to accumulate for more than seven (7) days or to attract flies, vermin or rats.
Full Breakdown
The rat and vermin rules sit in the nuisance article, Chapter 23, Article XIV. Section 23.1403 lists conditions that are nuisances, and two of them name rats and vermin directly. Subsection V covers garbage and debris allowed to accumulate for more than seven (7) days, or allowed to attract flies, vermin or rats. Subsection S covers dead, decayed, diseased or hazardous trees, weeds, hedges, and overgrown or uncultivated vegetation that are likely to harbor rats, vermin or other pests. Section 23.1401 defines weeds to include grasses, annual plants and vegetation in excess of eight inches (8"), excluding trees, shrubs and cultivated flowers and gardens. The list applies to any person within the territorial jurisdiction of the village and within one-half mile of the corporate limits.
Responsibility is shared. Section 23.1402 makes every obligation in the article the joint and several liability of every owner and responsible party, and Section 23.1401 defines responsible party to include owners, tenants, occupiers, property managers and lessees. Section 23.1401 B makes it unlawful to maintain a nuisance within the village, or outside it if the nuisance has a detrimental effect within the village.
Abatement follows Section 23.1404. Notice goes to the owner by regular mail and by posting at the front entrance or a similar location, and it states the location and nature of the nuisance. Fourteen (14) days is the specified period unless the code sets another or public health and safety require a shorter one. If the owner fails to act, the Village can cause the nuisance to be abated and the cost is assessed against the land. Under Section 23.1406, a person who fails to abate within thirty (30) days, or a shorter period in an order, is absolutely liable for a daily nuisance fee set in Appendix A, Division II.
Other sections touch the same problem. Section 19.301 B says premises used for the sale or storage of food or drink "shall be kept free from flies and vermin of all kinds." Section 19.307 bars creating a condition on property that attracts animals, including birds and insects, in a manner or in numbers that causes damage to the property of others or a hazard to the public health. Section 20.204 G bans leg hold traps but states that nothing in it prohibits the use or setting of standard household mouse or rat traps for controlling mice and rats.
Violations & Fines
Each nuisance condition under Section 23.1403 S or V carries a $100.00 fine in the Appendix A, Division III schedule. If the owner does not act within the notice period, the Village can abate at the owner's expense, with the cost assessed against the land and secured by a lien on the real property. After thirty (30) days without abatement, or a shorter period set in an order, the daily nuisance fee under Section 23.1406 applies on top of any fines.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can garbage sit before it is a nuisance?
Is the tenant or the landlord responsible for rats on a property?
Can I set rat or mouse traps in Mount Prospect?
What happens after the Village posts a nuisance notice?
Sources & Official References
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