Rodent Exterminator in Plant City, FL

In Section 30-61, the City Commission finds that excessive or untended growth causes property to become infested or inhabited by rodents, vermin or wild animals. Section 30-62(a) then sets the standard below. The rule itself is about growth; it does not require anyone to exterminate.

• What counts as overgrown: Weeds, grass or undergrowth taller than 10 inches on any lot, built on or vacant, within 200 feet of a building, structure, recreational area or street right-of-way.
• What the rule leaves out: Section 30-62(a) leaves out agricultural land where the growth supports the farm use, legally protected vegetation, and permitted stormwater systems.
• Written notice first: Under Section 30-63, the city writes to the record owner and any mortgagee and gives 15 days to fix the problem.
• A hearing on request: Within those 15 days, the owner may ask the City Commission for a hearing under Section 30-64.
• If nothing changes: If the lot is not fixed and no hearing is requested, Section 30-65 lets the city remedy it at the owner's expense and record a special assessment lien bearing 8% interest.
• Penalties: Section 30-67 allows a fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both on conviction. The city can also use the code enforcement board process.
• How to report a lot: Use the Report Code Violation link on the city's Code Enforcement page. The division investigates about 1,800 complaints a year and enforces city ordinances.

The city used this rule on the former Walden Lake golf course, issuing a notice of violation on January 6, 2025, and publishing a map of the mowing areas within 200 feet of a structure or roadway.

Plant City adopted the 1997 Standard Housing Code as its housing code in Section 78-616, and its extermination rule is written for owners. Florida law adds a landlord duty for rentals other than single-family homes and duplexes, shown in the last two rows.

Plant City also adopted the 2003 International Property Maintenance Code in Section 78-900, and its extermination section, 308, splits some duties between owners and occupants. Section 78-901 says that code supplements the rest of the city code and does not change it. The city code does not say which one governs if they differ, so read your lease and ask Code Enforcement. This is a summary, not legal advice.

Single-family homes on the city's automated collection use a city-owned cart, and Section 58-29 sets how it is used. The code does not mention rodents, but a shut, clean cart leaves less food out for them.

• Lid down, trash inside: All garbage goes inside the cart with the lid down, and no bags or loose trash are left on or around it.
• Keep the cart clean: Customers must keep carts clean and in good condition.
• Where the cart waits: Except when it is set out for collection, the cart is stored no closer to the street than the front edge of the house.
• The set-out window: The set-out window opens at 6:00 p.m. on the eve of pickup, and the cart has to be put away again by 6:00 a.m. the morning after.
• The rest of the yard: Section 30-107 makes the owner, tenant or other person in control keep the premises free of garbage, refuse and rubbish, except in authorized receptacles. Section 30-108 bars dumping it on open or vacant private property.

About 15.0% of Plant City's homes were built before 1960, compared with 10.6% across Hillsborough County, and 30.3% date from 2000 or later. About 67.6% are single-family detached, against 56.9% in Hillsborough County, and 16.2% are in buildings of 5 or more units.

For a detached house, the inspection covers the whole of it: the foundation, the roofline, and the trees and palms that touch it. The census tables do not say how these houses were built, so ask the pro to show you what they find at yours.