Dallas County Health and Human Services Vector Control monitors rodents and mosquitoes countywide, while Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 343 lets the county abate rodent harborage as a public nuisance in unincorporated areas.
DCHHS Vector Control runs surveillance for rodents, mosquitoes, and other disease vectors across Dallas County, supporting cities with technical assistance and conducting field investigations. In unincorporated areas the county uses Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 343, the rural nuisance statute, to address rat harborage from accumulated junk, weeds, and stagnant water. Property owners receive notice to abate, typically within thirty days. Refusal allows the county to abate at owner expense and place a lien under Local Government Code Chapter 342. Inside city limits, local code compliance leads, with DCHHS providing surveillance data and outbreak response. Restaurant rodent issues are handled through food permit inspections.
Failure to abate rodent harborage on unincorporated property after Chapter 343 notice can result in county-performed cleanup at owner expense, a property lien for costs, and Class C misdemeanor citations.
See how Richardson's rodent control rules stack up against other locations.
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