St. Martin Parish, LA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Rodent control in the St. Martin Parish Code runs through waste storage, and it applies by its own terms to the Stephensville-Belle River Area, the subject of Article II of Chapter 36. Section 36-40(a)(1) requires the storage of all solid waste to be practiced so as to prevent the attraction, harborage or breeding of insects and/or rodents and to eliminate conditions harmful to public health or which create safety hazards, odors, unsightliness and public nuisances. The owner, agent or occupant of any premises is responsible for the sanitary condition of the premises under section 36-39(a), and must provide a sufficient number of proper containers to hold the waste generated between regularly scheduled collections under section 36-40(a)(2).

The container standards carry the rodent rule into hardware. Nondisposable household cans must be durable metal or plastic, rust-resistant, nonabsorbent, weathertight and leakproof, with close-fitting insect- and rodent-proof lids. Covers must be removable and not fastened to the can, capacity runs from 20 to 35 gallons, and the combined weight of container and contents cannot exceed 75 pounds. Containers that are broken or otherwise fail the article must be immediately replaced. Disposable bags must be polyethylene with a 2.0 mil minimum, protected against precipitation, vandalism, animal damage and overloading to prevent littering or attracting of vectors, securely tied at the opening, and capped at 30 gallons and 35 pounds. Containers stay covered at all times except during placing or removal of contents, and the area around each container must be kept clean.

Bulky items get their own line. Section 36-40(f)(2) requires large furniture, appliances, vehicle tires and parts, and bicycles that cannot fit inside an approved receptacle to be stored temporarily on the premises, and it names harborage for insects or rodents as one of the hazards that storage must prevent. Section 36-38 defines a vector as an animal or insect which transmits infectious diseases from one person or animal to another by biting the skin or mucous membrane or by depositing infective material on the skin or food or on another object.