West Hartford, CT Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Section 105-21 of Chapter 105, the Housing and Property Maintenance Code, sets West Hartford's baseline standard for rodent and pest control: every building, structure, dwelling and premises must be pest-, insect- and rat-free and kept in a pest-, insect- and ratproof condition. The section then assigns who has to act. In a single-family dwelling, the occupant is responsible for exterminating pests, insects or rats on the premises. In a multi-unit dwelling, an occupant is likewise responsible for extermination only when his or her own unit is the sole one infested.

That responsibility shifts to the owner in three situations Subsection C spells out: when the infestation exists because the owner failed to keep the building reasonably pest-, insect- or ratproof; whenever two or more dwelling units in the same building are infested at once; or whenever the infestation is in the shared or public parts of a multi-unit building. Owners are also responsible for extermination in all exterior areas of the structure and premises, regardless of who occupies the units. The rule connects to two related provisions: rodent-proof construction requirements for sewers, pipes and drains in § 105-49A, and the unfit-dwelling declaration in § 105-56A(1), which lists a vermin-infested premises among the conditions letting the Director of Health placard a building and order it vacated.

Enforcement follows the standard Chapter 105 path, a written notice of violation under § 105-53 naming the correction deadline, before fines or an unfit-dwelling order attach.