Newton County, GA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Newton County Code § 42-35
- Applies to
- Business buildings and dwellings, unincorporated county
- Container standard
- Ratproof, watertight, tight-fitting covers required
- Storage rule
- Stored materials stacked 18 inches above ground
- Enforcement
- Code enforcement officer inspects on reasonable cause
Summary
Unincorporated Newton County's rat infestation control ordinance requires business owners to ratproof buildings and orders occupants of homes and apartments to store garbage in tight-fitting, watertight containers and stack stored materials at least 18 inches off the ground. The county's code enforcement officer can inspect any property for rat harborage and order abatement, with noncompliance treated as a separate violation of Chapter 42.
(a)Business buildings.(1)The owners of all business buildings shall have such buildings ratproofed and kept ratproofed in accordance with this article. ... (c)Duties of owners and occupants of dwellings. ... (4)Every owner or occupant of a dwelling or dwelling unit shall store and dispose of all his/her/their garbage, refuse, and any other organic waste which might provide food for insects and/or rodents in a clean, sanitary and safe manner. All garbage cans and refuse containers shall be ratproofed, insectproofed, watertight, structurally strong to withstand handling stress, easily filled, emptied and cleaned; shall be provided with tight-fitting covers or similar closures; and shall be maintained at all times in a clean sanitary condition. ... (9)No occupant of a dwelling or dwelling unit shall accumulate rubbish, boxes, lumber, scrap metal, or any other materials in such a manner that may provide a rat harborage in or about any dwelling or dwelling unit. Stored materials, if any, must be stacked neatly at least 18 inches above the ground.
Full Breakdown
Newton County Code § 42-35 sets out rat infestation control duties for unincorporated Newton County, splitting responsibility between business buildings and residential dwellings. Owners of business buildings must have their buildings ratproofed and keep them that way; if the code enforcement officer finds conditions that give rats harborage, the officer can order the owner to eliminate it, and failing to comply by the deadline is a separate violation. Occupants of business buildings must store garbage in ratproof metal containers pending removal, keep the building and grounds free of trash and debris that could shelter rats, and pursue an ongoing rat-proofing program.
For dwellings, every owner or occupant must keep the parts of the property they occupy in a condition that does not invite rat infestation. Garbage cans and refuse containers have to be ratproofed, insectproofed, watertight, sturdy enough to withstand handling, and fitted with tight covers, staying clean at all times; plastic bags can serve only as liners, never as stand-alone outdoor storage. Bulk storage containers for garbage or refuse must sit on concrete platforms built to keep spillage off adjacent ground. Stored rubbish, boxes, lumber, or scrap metal cannot sit in a way that creates rat harborage, and any stored material has to be stacked neatly at least 18 inches above the ground. Owners of buildings with three or more dwelling units must supply refuse containers for the whole building; in single- and two-family homes, each occupant supplies their own. Responsibility for extermination follows the source: an occupant covers their own unit's infestation, but the owner is on the hook if the infestation traces to a failure to keep the building ratproof, or if it spreads across shared or public areas. The code enforcement officer can inspect any building or property for ratproofing and infestation conditions whenever there is reasonable cause, and owners and occupants must permit that inspection.
Violations & Fines
Newton County Code § 42-35 does not set its own fine schedule; violations fall under Chapter 42's general enforcement provisions administered by the code enforcement officer, who can inspect any property on reasonable cause and order rat harborage eliminated by a set date. In a business building, failing to obey that order after the compliance date is a separate violation of the article, and continued noncompliance can be charged again for each day it persists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who enforces Newton County's rat control rules?
How must I store garbage cans to comply with the rat ordinance?
How high off the ground must stored materials sit?
Who pays for extermination if a rental unit gets rats?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newton County
Compare Newton County to another location·View the Georgia public health rules overview
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