Norfolk, VA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Chapter 36 of the Norfolk Code makes the director of public health responsible for enforcing citywide rat and mosquito control (Sec. 36-3). Section 36-5 requires that all buildings and structures be ratproofed, freed of rats, and maintained rat-free under the director's supervision. If the director issues a written order to ratproof or ratstop a building, Sec. 36-6 gives the owner at least fifteen days to complete the work; missing that deadline is itself a separate violation. Once a structure is ratproofed, Sec. 36-7 splits upkeep duty in multi-family buildings between owner (common areas) and occupant (their own unit), and Sec.

36-8 requires the occupant to repair any breaks in the ratproofing that are not due to normal deterioration. Section 36-9 makes it unlawful to remove ratproofing without restoring it or to cut new unsealed openings. Feed storage rules under Sec. 36-12 require bird, pet, and livestock feed to be kept in rat-free, ratproof containers or buildings, and Sec. 36-13 bans leaving garbage, rubbish, or trash where it may afford food or harborage for rats. Before any demolition, Sec. 36-11 requires a rat-free certificate from the director of public health, valid for thirty days, and a code official cannot issue a demolition permit without it. The same chapter regulates mosquito breeding: Sec. 36-16 declares untreated standing water a nuisance and lists approved treatments, from screening to larvicide to draining.