Waco, TX Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Article VI of Chapter 16 makes rodent control a citywide duty rather than a suggestion. Sec. 16-173 requires all premises to be free of rodents and maintained in a rodent-free condition, harborages eliminated, buildings kept rodent-proof, and food stored so it is inaccessible to rodents; if infestation is evident, the occupant, or the owner if there is no occupant, must start eradication. Sec. 16-175 bars anyone from placing, leaving, dumping, or letting garbage, refuse, debris, or trash accumulate on premises, alleys, or roadways in a way that feeds or shelters rodents, and requires garbage, including dead animals, to be kept in rodent-proof containers until collection.

Sec. 16-176 prohibits accumulating boxes, bottles, cans, junk appliances, or similar clutter that provides harborage, and when the enforcement officer finds evidence of rodents, the person who placed the objects, the occupant, and the owner are each jointly responsible for removing them; useful materials like firewood or lumber must be stored at least 15 inches above ground if the officer requests it. The enforcement officer, defined as the director of the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District or a designee under Sec. 16-172, may enter premises under Sec.

16-179 to inspect, using an administrative warrant if consent is refused, or entering without a warrant if there is an imminent hazard; written notice normally gives at least seven calendar days to fix a problem, less if the hazard is imminent. Sec. 16-182 makes any violation of the article a class C misdemeanor, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense.