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Pitt County, NC Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Storage standard
no rodent/vermin harborage, no fire hazard
Removal deadline
weekly (7-day) unless Health Dept approves delay
Accumulation ban
no storing waste outside ordinance-approved methods
Health oversight
Pitt County Health Department can approve exceptions
General penalty
$100/$200/$400 first/second/subsequent offense

Summary

Pitt County's Solid Waste & Recycling Ordinance bars property owners from letting waste accumulate outside the disposal methods the ordinance allows, and it requires refuse to be stored so it doesn't harbor rodents, vermin, or create a fire hazard, backed by a weekly removal deadline and civil penalties for violations.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Pitt County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

A. No owner, occupant, tenant, or lessee of any property may deposit, store, or permit to accumulate any solid waste upon his property that is not stored or disposed of in a manner prescribed by this Ordinance. ... D. Refuse shall be stored in a manner that will not provide harborage to rodents and vermin and will not create a fire hazard.

View official code

Full Breakdown

Section 8(A) of the Solid Waste & Recycling Ordinance (No. ' Section 8(B) backs that up with a weekly deadline: waste has to be removed from the property 'at least once each week (7 day period) unless prior approval is obtained from the Health Department,' putting the Pitt County Health Department in the position of approving any longer accumulation. ' The ordinance defines the 'Health Director' as the Director of the Pitt County Health Department or an authorized representative (§ 4), giving that office standing alongside the Solid Waste Department to weigh in when accumulated refuse becomes a pest or sanitation problem. Read together, these subsections require both regular removal and pest-resistant storage in the meantime, rather than one or the other.

Violations & Fines

Letting solid waste accumulate outside the ordinance's approved storage and disposal methods, or storing refuse so it draws rodents or vermin, violates § 8(A) and § 8(D) and is charged under the general civil-penalty catch-all at § 16(B)(4): $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $400 for each offense after that, with the Solid Waste Department authorized to issue the citation directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often does trash have to be removed from a property in Pitt County?
At least once every seven days, under § 8(B) of the Solid Waste & Recycling Ordinance, unless the property owner first gets approval from the Pitt County Health Department to hold it longer, since letting waste build up outside that schedule risks a citation under the ordinance's rodent-harborage rule as well.
What does Pitt County's code say about rats and trash?
Section 8(D) requires that 'refuse shall be stored in a manner that will not provide harborage to rodents and vermin and will not create a fire hazard,' a standard enforced alongside the weekly removal deadline and the general ban on accumulating waste outside the ordinance's approved storage methods.
Who enforces rodent-harborage complaints tied to trash storage in Pitt County?
Both the Solid Waste Department, whose employees can issue civil citations under § 16(A), and the Pitt County Health Department, which the ordinance names as the office that can approve an exception to the weekly removal deadline in § 8(B).

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Pitt County

Parking Rules: Overnight ParkingSome RestrictionsSyringe DisposalSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Abandoned VehiclesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Commercial & Oversized VehiclesSignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: Loading ZonesSome RestrictionsFence Regulations: Fence Permit RequirementsFew RestrictionsFire Regulations: FireworksHeavy Restrictions

All Pitt County rules

Compare Pitt County to another location·View the North Carolina public health rules overview

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