Upper Darby, PA Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

' The Health Officer, a title covering the appointed Health Officer, Director of Health, or a qualified member of the Township Health Department, is empowered under § 417-4 to inspect the interior and exterior of any covered building for rats or entry points. If the Health Officer finds infestation or a lack of ratproofing, § 417-3 requires written notice to the owner, who 'shall immediately institute rat eradication measures and/or measures to ratproof the building' and is deemed in violation if those measures are not undertaken within five days of receiving notice.

If harborage conditions persist inside or under an occupied building, § 417-5 lets the Health Officer close the building after notice, and § 417-6 allows the Township to sue to compel compliance, including condemnation, once noncompliance runs 60 days past notice. Section 417-8 adds specific unlawful acts: feed for chickens, cows, pigs, horses and other animals must be kept in rat-free, ratproof containers or a ratproof building; garbage and dead animals must go into durable, rust-resistant, close-lidded containers; and lumber, boxes or similar stored materials on any lot must sit on racks elevated at least 18 inches off the ground.