Westchester municipalities and the county health department can order property owners to abate rat harborage; food establishments must implement integrated pest management under state sanitary code.
Under the New York State Sanitary Code and local property maintenance rules, property owners must keep premises free from rodent harborage. Garbage must be stored in rodent-resistant containers with tight-fitting lids. WCDOH responds to rodent complaints at food establishments and multiple dwellings; Department of Public Works or local building departments handle private residences. Inspectors can issue notices requiring extermination, debris removal, and structural rat-proofing within set timeframes. Construction sites adjacent to occupied buildings often require pre-demolition rodent baiting. Failure to abate can result in the municipality performing the work and billing the owner.
Notice of violation with abatement deadline; municipal abatement billed to owner; daily fines for continued harborage at restaurants.
See how New Rochelle's rodent control rules stack up against other locations.
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