Shawnee County, KS Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 23-30(a)(3), nuisance presumption
- Storage rule
- Vectorproof lids required, Sec. 28-3(c)
- Enforcing agencies
- County health dept, code enforcement
- First offense fine
- Up to $500.00
- Repeat offense fine
- Up to $1,500.00
- Abatement deadline
- 30 days after judgment
- Last amended
- HR-2025-2, Oct. 20, 2025
Summary
Shawnee County presumes a public nuisance exists whenever a residential, commercial, or platted-subdivision property harbors rats, mice, or other vermin, under Sec. 23-30(a)(3) of the county code. The county health department and code enforcement can act on that presumption, and the solid waste code separately forces every trash container to be vector-proof so garbage never becomes the harborage in the first place.
(a)It shall be presumed that a nuisance exists on the property or premises if any of the following conditions are maintained or permitted on any property or premises in a platted subdivision, or any property or premises which has not been platted but contains four acres or less of land and has a residence situated on the property or is immediately adjacent to a residence. This enumeration shall not be deemed or construed to be conclusive, limiting, or restrictive:...(3)Any condition which provides harborage for rats, mice, or other vermin which may be injurious to human health;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 23-30(a) of the Shawnee County Code lists eleven conditions that create a rebuttable presumption of nuisance on any platted-subdivision property, or on unplatted land of four acres or less with a residence on or next to it. ' The same section also reaches carcasses left undisposed after death (item 4) and structures the county health department calls unfit for human occupancy because they are 'vermin or rat infested' (item 10), so a rodent problem can be cited under more than one clause at once.
Enforcement runs through Sec. A. 65-159 to enter and examine property for conditions affecting public health. Separately, the county's solid waste article requires every household to store refuse 'so that it does not attract rats, flies, mosquitoes and other vectors' and 'does not provide shelter or a breeding place for vectors' (Sec. 28-3(b)(1)-(2)), and any container used for household trash must be fitted with a vectorproof lid and kept covered at all times (Sec. 28-3(c)). Together the two chapters mean a resident can be cited either for an active infestation on the property or for storing garbage in a way that invites one. The nuisance article was last amended by Home Rule Resolution No. HR-2025-2 on October 20, 2025.
Violations & Fines
A first nuisance conviction under Sec. 23-34(d) draws a fine of not more than $500.00, a second not more than $1,000.00, and a third or later conviction not more than $1,500.00. Courts must also order abatement within 30 days of judgment, with the county entitled to abate the condition itself and bill the owner, plus restitution and a civil injunction the county counselor can pursue independently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Shawnee County cite me just for having rats on my property?
Does the county require rat-proof trash cans?
What happens if I don't fix a rodent problem after being cited?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shawnee County
Compare Shawnee County to another location·View the Kansas public health rules overview
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