Ridgewood, NJ Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Chapter 223's rodent and insect control rules split responsibility by property type. Section 223-57A makes "an owner of a structure or property" responsible for exterminating "insects, rats, vermin or other pests" in exterior areas, but shifts that duty to the occupant for a single-family dwelling's exterior areas; for any other property type, the section keeps the burden on the owner even where an infestation is found in exterior areas. Subsection B adds a construction-related check: the Village Building Department cannot issue a demolition permit for a project that would demolish or alter more than 40% of a structure's footprint without satisfactory evidence the premises have been treated for or are free of insects and rodents, a requirement added November 12, 2014 by Ordinance No.

3440. Section 223-92, in Article XIII, Interior Structure, sets the interior-facing companion duty for the Village of Ridgewood, Bergen County: "All structures shall be kept free from insect and rat infestation, and where insects or rats are found, they shall be promptly exterminated by approved processes which will not be injurious to human health," with "proper precautions" required afterward to prevent reinfestation. The Code backs both sections with structural protections elsewhere in Chapter 223: § 223-68 requires exterior surfaces to be kept "in such condition as to exclude rats," § 223-82 requires basement hatchways built to keep rats out, and § 223-83 requires rat-proof shields or storm windows on openable basement windows.