Wilmington, DE Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Screen mesh
- 1/4-inch max on basement windows
- Fine
- up to $2,500 per violation
- Corporation fine
- up to $5,750
- Enforcer
- Dept. of Licenses and Inspections
- Multi-unit duty
- owner pays for shared-area extermination
Summary
Wilmington's property maintenance code requires every foundation, exterior wall, roof, window, and basement hatchway to be rodentproof, and makes owners of multi-unit buildings responsible for exterminating rodent infestations in shared areas.
Every foundation, exterior wall and roof shall be weathertight, watertight, rodentproof and insectproof. Any evidence of decay of a foundation, exterior wall or roof shall be a violation of this section.... Every window, exterior door and basement hatchway shall be weathertight and rodentproof. Any evidence of decay of a window, exterior door or basement hatchway shall be a violation of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 72).
Full Breakdown
The city's property maintenance code (Chapter 34) makes rodentproofing a building-condition standard, not just a nuisance complaint: owners must keep foundations, walls, roofs, windows, doors and basement hatchways rodentproof, and basement or cellar windows need a heavy wire screen with mesh no larger than one-fourth inch. In buildings with two or more units, the owner -- not individual tenants -- must pay for extermination when rodents infest shared areas or multiple units. The Department of Licenses and Inspections enforces the chapter, and Code violations carry fines up to $2,500 ($5,750 for a corporation) under the citywide general penalty section, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Failing to rodentproof a foundation, wall, roof, window, or hatchway, or an owner's refusal to exterminate a shared-area infestation, is a Code violation punishable by up to $2,500 per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays to exterminate rats in a Wilmington apartment building?
What counts as rodentproofing under Wilmington's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wilmington
Compare Wilmington to another location·View the Delaware public health rules overview
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