St. Petersburg, FL Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Screening required
- windows and ventilation openings, sound condition
- Applies to
- buildings let for rental/lease
- Occupant duty
- extermination within their own unit/premises
- Owner duty (rentals)
- extermination in shared/outdoor multi-unit areas
- Governing section
- City Code § 8-169(d)(4)-(6)
Summary
St. Petersburg's housing minimum standards require rental buildings to be screened against mosquitoes, flies and other pests, and put extermination duty on the owner. City Code § 8-169(d)(4) and (d)(6) require sound window and ventilation screens and make owners responsible for pest control in shared rental areas.
(4)Each building or structure which is let for rental/lease shall be protected against mosquitoes, flies and other insects and pests by providing that each window shall have screens in sound condition, and all other openings to the outside, excluding doors, which are used or intended to be used for ventilation, shall have screens in sound condition.(6)Each occupant of a building or structure shall be responsible for the extermination of insects, rodents or other pests located within the building or structure or on the premises. Notwithstanding the foregoing provision, the owner shall be responsible for the extermination of insects, rodents and other pests located within a rental building or structure including the shared or outdoor areas of any building or structure containing two or more units.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 54).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 8-169(d), part of the Chapter 8 minimum housing standards, sets two separate pest-control requirements. " Subsection (d)(5) extends the same screening duty to basement and cellar windows and other openings that could let rodents or insects in. Subsection (d)(6) assigns who has to actually exterminate: "Each occupant of a building or structure shall be responsible for the extermination of insects, rodents or other pests located within the building or structure or on the premises. " In other words, an occupant in a single owner-occupied home handles their own pest control, but the owner of any rental building -- including a duplex's shared yard or a multi-unit building's common areas -- is on the hook for extermination, in addition to keeping screens intact.
These duties are distinct from the separate rat-free-premises rule in §§ 8-204 and 8-205, which applies to every lot in the City, occupied or vacant.
Violations & Fines
Renting out a unit with torn or missing screens, or an owner failing to exterminate pests in a rental building's shared or outdoor areas, violates § 8-169(d) and is enforced under the Code's general penalty in § 1-7 -- up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both -- plus referral to the Municipal Code Enforcement Board under Chapter 9.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my landlord required to have window screens in St. Petersburg?
Who pays for pest control in a St. Petersburg rental -- landlord or tenant?
Does this pest rule apply to owner-occupied single-family homes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Petersburg
Florida rules heatmap·Compare St. Petersburg to another location·View the Florida public health rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Rodent Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Pinellas County handle rodent control.