Richland, WA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 10.04.040 lists the conditions Richland treats as nuisances "affecting peace and safety," and subsection (L) covers "the keeping or permitting the existence of any bees or other insects, reptiles, rodents, fowl, or any other animals, domestic or wild, in any manner contrary to law, or which affect the safety of the public." The rodent provision works alongside § 10.04.030(C), which separately declares an "accumulation of garbage, decaying vegetation, manure, dead animals, or other noxious things in a street or alley, or on public or private property" a nuisance affecting health when it reaches a level injurious to public health, safety, welfare, or comfort, since unmanaged trash and garbage are common rodent attractants.

Enforcement runs through the compliance officer, defined in § 10.04.010 as the city manager's designee, who can require a "responsible person," meaning any agent, lessee, or occupant with charge or control of the property, to correct the condition. If voluntary correction fails, the city can issue a notice of civil violation under § 10.02.050, triggering a hearing before the code enforcement board and, if the violation is not resolved, a civil penalty under § 10.04.050 keyed to the schedule in § 10.02.050(E). In an imminent-danger case, § 10.04.100 lets the compliance officer summarily correct the condition without prior notice, charging the cost back to the property owner as a civil debt.