Oxnard, CA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 7-151 lists conditions that constitute a public nuisance on any real property in the city; subsection (I) specifically targets dead, decayed, diseased, or hazardous trees, weeds, or overgrown vegetation, whether cultivated or not, that is likely to harbor rats or vermin, creates a fire hazard, or is otherwise unsightly and detrimental to surrounding property values. A separate solid-waste provision, § 19-160(A), bars any owner, occupant, or person in control of private property from depositing or storing solid waste or non-containerized debris in a way that could attract rodents or pests and create a health hazard, and it defines 'rodent' to mean rats, mice, gophers, and squirrels, and 'pest' to include roaches, mosquitoes, and flies.

When a code enforcement officer, city inspector, or police officer finds either type of nuisance, § 7-154 requires written notice delivered to the responsible party or mailed and posted on the property, giving ten days from delivery (or 15 days from mailing/posting) to abate the condition or file an appeal disputing it or claiming it is impossible to fix in time. Appeals go to the city clerk and are decided by an appeal officer under § 7-155. If the nuisance is not abated within the notice period or within ten days of a denied appeal, § 7-156 lets the city manager abate it directly, and §§ 7-157 and 7-158 make the abatement and administrative costs a civil debt and a lien against the property.