Owensboro, KY Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Owensboro Municipal Code § 5-137(b)(18) declares 'Rubbish' a public nuisance: any accumulation of filth, refuse, trash, garbage, or other waste material that endangers public health or safety, or that risks catching fire, or that will attract and propagate vermin, rodents, or insects, or blow rubbish onto a street, sidewalk, or neighboring property. Section 5-137(b)(16), Hoarding of Pet Animals, separately makes it a nuisance to keep more animals than can be properly cared for, when that results in squalid conditions, neighbor complaints, and rodent and insect infestations.

Both provisions sit inside the same public-nuisance list enforced by the city's code enforcement officers under §§ 5-128 and 5-129, alongside related items like Junk and Scrap Metal storage (§ 5-137(b)(1)) and Compost Piles (§ 5-137(b)(4)), both of which can also draw a citation if conditions attract pests. A code enforcement officer who observes or investigates a rodent-attracting condition can issue a notice of violation giving the property owner or tenant time to clean up before any fine applies; if the condition isn't corrected, a citation follows.

The Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission and Public Works Department handle property maintenance enforcement in the City of Owensboro, while Daviess County Animal Control, not the city, handles the animal-welfare side of a hoarding case. Because rodent-attracting rubbish and animal hoarding are nuisance categories rather than criminal charges, cases go before the city's Property Maintenance Code Enforcement Board rather than a criminal court, unless the property owner appeals a final order to Daviess County District Court.