8.10.290 Rats.
A. A person in charge of a premises must not permit, allow or cause to exist any substance, act or condition that allows for the harborage of rats.
B. Each person in charge of a premises has an independent duty to maintain the premises in a rat-free condition and to repair all breaks or leaks that may occur in the rat proofing.
C. A person in charge of a premises must institute:
1. Ratproofing measures within 15 days after they have discovered or been notified by the city manager or designee of evidence of the need of ratproofing the premises.
2. Rat eradication measures within five days after they have discovered or been notified by the city manager or designee of an actual or suspected rat infestation on the premises, and must continuously maintain the measures until the premises is declared free of rat infestation by the city manager or designee.
D. A person in charge of a premises must not permit or allow the removal of ratproofing from any premises that is not closed or sealed against the entrance of rats.
E. For the purposes of this section, “rat harborage” includes but is not limited to the following substances, conditions or acts on a premises that provide shelter or protection for rats, thus favoring their multiplication and continued existence on the premises:
1. Floors in basements of buildings that are not constructed from cement or similar ratproofing material.
2. Animal food and feed that is not stored in rat-free and ratproof containers, compartments, rooms or building.
3. Accumulated garbage, trash, dead animals, waste vegetables, or animal matter of any kind.
4. Accumulated lumber, boxes, barrels, bricks, stones, scrap metal, motor vehicle bodies or parts, or similar materials, rubbish or articles of junk.
F. For the purposes of this section:
1. “Rat eradication” means the elimination or extermination of rats within buildings of any kind by any or all measures, such as poisoning, fumigation, trapping or clubbing.
2. “Ratproofing” means and applies to a form of construction to prevent the ingress of rats into buildings from the exterior or from one building to another. It consists of the closing of all actual or potential openings in the exterior walls, ground or first floors, basements, roofs and foundations that may be reached by rats from the ground by climbing or by burrowing, with material or equipment impervious to rat-gnawing.
G. In addition to any corrective action ordered by the city, a person found to have violated the provisions of this section may be assessed a civil penalty. The amount of the civil penalty assessed for each day of continuing violation will not exceed the amount established for a Class 4 code violation. (Ord. 5079 §1 (Exh. 1 (part)), 2019).