Salt Lake City, UT Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Hardware cloth standard
- 19-gauge, mesh ≤ 1/2 inch
- Door clearance limit
- Max 3/8 inch gap
- Inspection frequency
- At least every 3 months
- Abatement notice window
- Minimum 15 days
- Enforcing agency
- Salt Lake Valley Health Department
Summary
Salt Lake City requires every business and residential building to be ratproofed by the owner and kept rat-free by the occupant, with the health director empowered to inspect, order repairs, and abate infestations.
All buildings, including business and residential, shall be ratproofed by the owner and freed of rats and maintained in a ratproof and rat free condition by the occupant or tenant to the satisfaction of the director of health or his or her authorized representative.
B. The owners of all ratproofed buildings are required to maintain the premises in a ratproof condition and to repair all breaks or leaks that may occur in the ratproofing without a specific order of the director of health. (Prior code § 18-22-3)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
City Code chapter 9.32 makes ratproofing mandatory: exterior openings, vents, sidewalk gratings and doors must be sealed with cement, masonry, sheet metal, or 19-gauge hardware cloth no wider than 1/2 inch, and exterior door gaps can't exceed 3/8 inch. Garbage that could feed rats must go in covered metal containers, and loose stacked materials must sit on racks 18 inches off the ground. The Salt Lake Valley health director inspects ratproofed buildings at least every three months and can order abatement.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliance is a misdemeanor; the health director can perform ratproofing/rat eradication work at the owner's expense, bill the owner, and refer unpaid bills to the city attorney for collection. Extreme cases allow closing occupied buildings or condemning and destroying unoccupied ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must ratproof a Salt Lake City building?
What happens if a building stays infested after notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
Compare Salt Lake City to another location·View the Utah public health rules overview
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Rodent Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle rodent control.