Ocala, FL Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Sec. 34-63 and Sec. 34-64
- Compliance window
- 5 days after written notice
- Enforcement body
- Municipal code enforcement board or special magistrate
- Demolition condition
- Building must be certified rat-free first
- Who inspects
- City health officer, unannounced inspections allowed
Summary
Ocala requires every building in the city, new or existing, to be ratproofed or kept rat free under Code of Ordinances Sec. 34-63. The health officer inspects on suspicion of infestation and orders correction within five days; unresolved violations go to the municipal code enforcement board or special magistrate, which can order the city to exterminate at the owner's cost.
all buildings in the city, including those to be demolished, shall either be ratproofed or freed of rats, and maintained in either a ratproof or rat-free condition; provided, however, no new buildings shall be erected nor any existing building remodeled unless such construction shall render the building in a ratproof condition; and provided further that no permit shall be issued for building demolition, nor shall a building be demolished, until such appurtenant premises have been treated by and declared to be rat-free by a licensed exterminator. ... the owner shall immediately institute appropriate measures approved by the health officer for either ratproofing the building or freeing the building of rats, and that unless suitable measures approved by the health officer for either ratproofing the building or freeing the building of rats are instituted within five days after receipt of such notice and unless such work is continuously maintained in a manner satisfactory to the health officer until the building is either ratproofed or freed of rats, the health officer shall cause the building to be freed of rats at the cost and expense of the owner.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 34, Article III of the Ocala Code of Ordinances makes rat control mandatory citywide. Section 34-63 requires that all buildings in the city, including those slated for demolition, be either ratproofed or kept free of rats, and that new construction or remodeling must leave the structure in a ratproof condition. No demolition permit issues, and no building may be torn down, until a licensed exterminator has treated the premises and certified them rat-free. The health officer, per Section 34-62, may make unannounced inspections of a building's interior and exterior to check compliance, and where evidence of rats or reopened entry points turns up, must give the owner written notice to correct the condition.
Section 34-64 sets the clock: once notified of infestation, the owner has five days to start approved ratproofing or extermination work and must keep at it to the health officer's satisfaction until the building is ratproof or rat-free. If the owner misses that window, the health officer can send in an exterminator and bill the owner for the cost. Violations of this article fall under the jurisdiction of the municipal code enforcement board or special magistrate, per Chapter 2 of the Code, rather than a straight criminal citation.
The stated purpose, protecting public health by controlling endemic typhus fever and other rat-borne disease, ties the rule to the health officer's authority, and there is no exemption for vacant or commercial buildings: the ratproofing duty runs to every owner in the city.
Violations & Fines
Failing to ratproof or free a building of rats after written notice is a violation referred to the municipal code enforcement board or special magistrate under Chapter 2, not a police citation. The health officer sets a five-day compliance window in the notice; missing it lets the city hire an exterminator and bill the owner for the full cost of the work, on top of any board-ordered fine for continuing noncompliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ocala require ratproofing on every building?
How much time do I get to fix a rat problem?
Who enforces Ocala's rat control ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ocala
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