Warren, MI Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Article IV of Chapter 21 targets rodent infestation directly. Sec. 21-66 defines rodent as any rat or mouse, rodent harborage as any condition that shelters rodents and lets them multiply in, under, or around a building, structure, or vacant land, and rodent eradication as eliminating an infestation through accepted measures such as poisoning, fumigating, trapping, or clubbing. Sec. 21-67 makes it unlawful for an owner or occupant to permit a rodent harborage condition to exist, and the presence of an infestation is itself treated as evidence of harborage, so the city does not need to prove the underlying cause.

Enforcement starts with an inspection: Sec. 21-68 directs the department of public service to inspect any reported rodent-infested building, structure, or vacant land and determine whether harborage exists. If it does, Sec. 21-69 requires written notice by first-class mail or by posting a conspicuous notice on the property, giving the owner or occupant no less than ten days to begin eradication. Sec. 21-70 then obligates the owner or occupant to start eradication immediately and keep at it until the property is rodent free. If the deadline passes without compliance, Sec.

21-71 lets the department of public service perform the eradication itself and charge the property a fifty-dollar administration fee plus twenty-five percent of the actual cost of the eradication work, which becomes a lien on the property. Sec. 21-72 routes unpaid charges to the city assessor, who adds them to the next city tax roll if the owner does not pay within thirty days of being billed, collecting the debt the same way as delinquent property taxes.