Redwood City, CA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted standard
- San Mateo County Code Ch. 4.80
- Local citation
- Redwood City Code § 13.1
- Enforcer
- San Mateo County Environmental Health Division
- Permit fees
- Set by County (Sec. 13.2)
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine, 6 months jail (Sec. 13.3)
Summary
Redwood City doesn't write its own rodent-control rules: Code section 13.1 adopts San Mateo County's Environmental Health Code Chapter 4.80, Rodent and Insect Control, by reference as the City's environmental health code, alongside the County's food, water and sewage-disposal chapters, enforced under the County's permit and fee system.
The Environmental Health Code of the County of San Mateo, as set forth in Chapter 4.52 Environmental Health Generally, Chapter 4.56 Food Facilities, Chapter 4.60 Fresh Water Sports Areas, Chapter 4.64 Water Supply System, Chapter 4.68 Wells, except for section 4.68.410 which is not adopted, Chapter 4.80 Rodent and Insect Control, Chapter 4.84 Individual Sewage Disposal Systems, Chapter 5.128 Alcohol Warning Signs, Chapter 5.52 Itinerant Restaurants, and Chapter 5.68 Food Establishments, of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code establishing health standards for restaurants, itinerant restaurants, mobile food vendors, caterers, food equipment, public fresh water sports areas, water supplies, wells, chemical toilets, rodent and insect control and alcohol warning signs, three (3) copies of which are on file with the City Clerk, are adopted by reference as the environmental health code for the City.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Code: Supplement 29 | City Code: Supplement 61 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
68 (Food Establishments). 2. 80 rather than in the city code itself, a property owner cited for a rodent or vector problem in Redwood City is actually being enforced against county health standards applied through this city-code adoption. 3 supplies the enforcement penalty for the whole chapter, including the rodent-control provisions.
Violations & Fines
Section 13.3 makes violating any provision of Chapter 13, including the adopted rodent and insect control standards, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to six months in county jail, or both. San Mateo County's Environmental Health Division, which the City relies on for enforcement, can also inspect properties and require abatement before a violation reaches that stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Redwood City have its own rodent control ordinance?
Who enforces rodent complaints in Redwood City?
What's the penalty for violating the rodent control rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redwood City
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