Harrison County, MS Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- UDC § 1409.03.04
- Applies
- Regardless of zoning classification
- Base fine
- Up to $100 per conviction
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate offense
- Enforcing official
- Harrison County Zoning Officer
- Amendment source
- 1602HC032, adopted 03/07/2016
Summary
Harrison County's Unified Development Code makes it a code violation to keep animals or fowl in unsanitary conditions on any unincorporated property, defined to include vermin, rats, mice, fleas and ticks associated with neglected animals, regardless of zoning.
1409.03.04 Maintaining or keeping of animals or fowls in unsanitary conditions, regardless of the zoning classification of the property; unsanitary conditions as used in this section shall include the presence of excess waste, smell, noise and/or vermin, rats, mice, fleas, ticks and other pests associated with neglected animals.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
" Because the rule applies "regardless of the zoning classification of the property," it reaches agricultural, residential and commercial parcels alike across unincorporated Harrison County: it is not limited to any one zoning district. 02, may institute injunction or mandamus proceedings in addition to other remedies where a property owner lets animal waste or pest infestation persist. Enforcement sits alongside eleven other listed violations in the same section, from illegal RV occupancy to agricultural livestock kept outside properly zoned land, showing the county treats unsanitary animal keeping as a distinct nuisance category rather than folding it into general junk or weed violations.
The provision traces to amendment 1602HC032, adopted March 7, 2016, and remains in the UDC as amended through December 12, 2022. This is a unincorporated-county rule only; Gulfport, Biloxi, Long Beach, Pass Christian and D'Iberville enforce their own municipal codes on vermin and unsanitary animal keeping within city limits.
Violations & Fines
A violation is a misdemeanor: on conviction, a fine of up to $100 plus court costs. If the owner makes no reasonable effort to correct the unsanitary condition, each additional day the violation continues counts as a separate offense, so daily fines can stack quickly. The Zoning Officer may also seek an injunction or mandamus order under Section 1409.02 instead of, or in addition to, citing the owner criminally.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as an unsanitary animal-keeping violation in Harrison County?
Does it matter what zoning district the property is in?
What happens if I don't clean up after a citation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Harrison County
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