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

' That duty is backed by structural standards in Sec. 4-78: underpinned foundations must use rodent-proof material with ventilated, covered crawl-space access (Sec. 4-78(a)(6)); exterior walls and doors must stay 'structurally sound, waterproof, weatherproof and rodent-proof with no holes, cracks or rotted boards' (Sec. 4-78(c)(1), (3)); and ceilings must remain 'substantially rodent-proof,' with no holes or loose sheetrock that could let pests through (Sec. 4-78(e)(3)). Responsibility splits between owner and occupant. Under Sec. 4-81(3), a tenant must exterminate insects or rodents only if their unit alone is infested and the owner has already supplied a reasonably rodent-proof building; under Sec.

4-82(b), the owner is on the hook whenever infestation traces to a failure to keep the structure rodent-proof, or whenever two or more units in the same building are infested. Enforcement runs through the county inspector's Sec. 4-83 process: an investigation, an itemized list of violations, a hearing 10 to 30 days after the complaint is served, and a written order giving up to 90 days to repair, remove or demolish. A 'substantial rodent or vermin infestation' is also listed in Sec. 4-86(b)(6) among the conditions that pose an imminent threat of bodily harm, letting the inspector placard the structure and demand correction in as little as 72 hours rather than waiting out the standard process.