Tacoma property owners must keep premises free of rat harborage, food sources, and breeding conditions. Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department investigates complaints and can order abatement under nuisance and code-enforcement authority.
Tacoma Municipal Code Chapter 8 (Miscellaneous Ordinances) and Chapter 16 (Code Enforcement) treat rodent infestations as a public nuisance. TPCHD inspectors and Tacoma code-enforcement officers can issue orders requiring owners to remove harborage like wood piles, abandoned vehicles, or unsecured trash that attracts rats. Owners must store garbage in rodent-resistant containers, keep dumpsters lidded, and address infestations through licensed pest-control operators or owner-applied baits per WSDA labeling. Severe cases involving commercial properties or multifamily buildings may trigger joint TPCHD and Tacoma Building & Land Use enforcement and rental-housing inspection follow-up.
Failure to abate after notice can lead to civil penalties, contractor abatement billed to the owner, lien recording, and rental-housing inspection escalation in repeat-violator cases.
See how Tacoma's rodent control rules stack up against other locations.
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