Pawtucket, RI Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Added in 1973 by Chapter No. 1424, § 247-108 sits in Article IX of the Housing Code alongside the general infestation ban in § 247-105 and the extermination duties owners and occupants carry under § 247-115. Subsection A targets entry points: any opening of a half inch or more in an exterior wall, foundation, basement, ground or first floor, or roof must be ratproofed if it sits within 48 inches of the ground outside, or if a rat could reach it by climbing an unguarded pipe, wire, cornice, stair, roof, tree or vine, or by burrowing.

Skirting, lattice, or other ratproofed enclosures under a porch must be sealed at any point showing evidence of burrowing or gnawing. Subsection B addresses storage: where materials are stacked or piled on the property, the owner must arrange them to prevent a harborage area from forming, which the section says can be done by elevating stock a full 12 inches off the ground, and stacking or piling against an exterior wall is barred outright. Subsection C reaches the building itself: basement floors and any other floor or area in contact with the soil at a depth of four feet or less from grade must be paved in concrete or another impervious material, closing off a burrowing route from underneath.