Maricopa County, AZ Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Environmental Health Code, Ch. III, Reg. 1
- Enforcing agency
- Maricopa County Environmental Services Dept.
- Trigger
- Rodent, roach, bedbug, or flea infestation
- Permit risk
- Food/lodging permit suspension if infested
Summary
Maricopa County bans rodent, roach, bedbug, and flea infestations on any property, and the Environmental Services Department can order the owner or occupant to abate an infestation once notified.
The infestation by or harborage of rodents, lice, bedbugs, roaches, flies or other arthropods of public health significance, in or about any premises is hereby declared to be dangerous to public health. No person shall cause, maintain, or within his control, permit such infestation or harborage. The owner, occupant, or person in control ... shall take all reasonable measures to prevent such infestation or harborage and, upon notification from the Department to do so, shall take all necessary and proper steps to eliminate the infestation or harborage and to prevent its recurrence.
Full Breakdown
Environmental Health Code Chapter III makes it unlawful to cause, maintain, or knowingly permit rodents, lice, bedbugs, roaches, flies, or other arthropods of public health significance to infest or harbor in or about any premises in Maricopa County. Owners, occupants, or the person in control must take reasonable measures to prevent infestation and, once the Environmental Services Department notifies them, must take all necessary steps to eliminate it and stop it from recurring. A property offered as a food establishment or human habitation while infested can have its operating permit suspended until the infestation is abated.
Violations & Fines
Failure to abate after Department notice can lead to permit suspension for food or lodging uses, and the county can pursue enforcement, injunctive relief, or civil penalties for the nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the county make me deal with rodents on my property?
Does this rule also cover mosquitoes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Maricopa County
Compare Maricopa County to another location·View the Arizona public health rules overview
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