Mount Vernon, NY Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

City of Mount Vernon Code § 149-38, in the Property Maintenance article of the Housing Code Applicable to Residential Premises, requires that grounds, buildings and structures be kept free of insect, vermin and rodent harborage and infestation, and that any extermination method used conform to generally accepted practice. Where the potential for rodent or vermin infestation exists, windows and other basement or cellar openings must be screened with wire mesh or other suitable material under § 149-38B. Section 149-38C imposes a seasonal duty running May 1 to October 1: entrances to residential buildings other than multiple dwellings must have self-closing devices or screens, and windows and other ventilation openings must be appropriately screened, though upper-story rooms high enough to be naturally free of mosquitoes and flies are exempted.

Section 149-40, the adjoining provision, separately requires domestic animals and pets to be kept appropriately and not run at large, reinforcing the same harborage-control goal. The Commissioner of Buildings enforces § 149-38 under § 149-41 with the Fire Commissioner and Commissioner of Public Safety, through periodic inspections at least every four years and investigation of every complaint of alleged violation.