Wilmington property owners must keep premises free of rat and mouse harborage under the city property maintenance and health chapters. Garbage storage rules and overgrown-lot abatement are the main enforcement tools.
Wilmington City Code Chapter 17 (Health) and Chapter 35 (Refuse and Solid Waste) require that residential and commercial property be maintained so as not to harbor rodents. Refuse must be stored in tight, covered containers; vegetation and debris piles that shelter rats must be removed. The city Department of Licenses and Inspections issues notices of violation and can perform abatement at the owner's cost. Severe infestations are referred to DHSS Vector Control for baiting in alleys and sewers.
Notice of violation, daily fines for non-compliance, and city abatement billed back to the owner with a lien for unpaid charges.
See how Wilmington's rodent control rules stack up against other locations.
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