Texas City, TX Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 94.007 of the Texas City Code of Ordinances lists special conditions declared to be nuisances, and division (F) covers any condition which provides harborage for rats, mice, snakes and/or other vermin. The duty falls on the person causing, permitting or suffering the condition on his premises, real property, or in any building he occupies or controls. It also reaches the street, alley, sidewalk or gutter immediately adjacent to those premises, so a harborage pile left in the alley behind a lot counts.

The code sets no rodent count and no inspection schedule. The trigger is the harborage condition itself. Related sections in the same chapter describe what creates that condition: § 94.026 bars holes or places where water can accumulate and become stagnant, § 94.027 bars accumulations of carrion, filth or other impure or unwholesome matter, and § 94.028 bars weeds or tall grass of 12 inches or higher, rubbish and brush. Division (G) of § 94.007 separately names poles, posts, lumber or timber materials detrimental to health. On the garbage side, § 53.04(A) requires plastic garbage bags to be securely tied or otherwise fastened or closed so as to prevent spillage or entry by vectors and vermin, and § 53.03 requires every occupant of a residence to keep approved containers in good order and repair.

Chapter 94 applies to all property within the city and to all property within 5,000 feet of the city boundary (§ 94.006), so land in the extraterritorial jurisdiction is covered as well. Under § 94.030, if the owner fails to correct the condition within ten days after notice, the city can do the work and charge the owner, add the cost to the property's city water bill, or place a mechanic's lien on the property. An additional $50 is added to the assessment to cover the administrative expense of preparing, filing and releasing the lien.