Peoria, AZ Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 17-3(j) of the Peoria City Code places an affirmative duty on the owner, lessee, or other person in control of any premises abutting a sidewalk, alley, or street. That duty extends past the property line: it covers the adjoining right-of-way up to the curb line of the street and fifty percent of any alley the land abuts. The section lists four conditions the premises must be kept free of, and 'insect and rodent infestation' is called out by name as the second one, alongside litter, garbage, junk, and rubble; overgrown vegetation, dead trees, brush, and weeds; and any other condition presenting a health, fire, or safety hazard.

Because the definitions in Section 17-2 tie 'hazard' to any condition that may cause personal harm or be detrimental to public health, an active rodent infestation on a property gives Neighborhood Services grounds to open a case even before the infestation spreads to visible structural damage or additional nuisance conditions. Enforcement follows the same path as the rest of Chapter 17: Section 17-51 makes a person in control of the premises presumptively responsible, classifies a violation as a Class 1 misdemeanor, and counts each day the infestation persists as a separate offense.

Section 17-53 allows the Municipal Court to order abatement within thirty days of a finding of responsibility, with the City authorized to enter and abate the condition itself, at the owner's cost, if that deadline is missed.