Sanford, FL Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Sanford enacted the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code by reference at City Code Section 18-101 and printed its full text, with local amendments, at Section 18-102 in Chapter 18, Article V. Section 302.5 applies to every structure and exterior lot in the city and puts the extermination duty on the owner: once rodents are found, they must be promptly exterminated using approved processes that will not injure human health, and the owner must then take precautions to eliminate the harborage and prevent re-infestation. The same chapter backs this up with structural rules aimed at keeping rodents out in the first place: Section 304.5 requires foundation walls to be kept plumb and crack-free so as to prevent the entry of rodents and other pests, Section 304.16 requires basement hatchways to be maintained to keep rodents out, and Section 304.17 requires openable basement windows to carry rodent shields, storm windows or similar protection.

The Planning and Development Services code official enforces these sections; Section 106.2 routes notice and prosecution of a violation through Chapter 26 (Code Enforcement), where the case goes to a code enforcement officer or the special magistrate. An uncorrected rodent-harborage violation can also support condemnation of the structure under Section 108 if the infestation makes the building unfit for occupancy.