Rodent Control in Towson, MD

Baltimore County's rat rules turn on a written notice. Once the county sends one under Section 13-7-305, the owner or occupant has a timed duty, and the rows below show who must act and by when.

Under Section 13-7-301(f), owner also means a lessee whose lease makes them responsible for maintenance and repair, and in these rules a mouse counts as a rat. Section 13-7-308 bars anyone, a contractor or utility company included, from leaving rat-proofing removed without restoring it.

Baltimore County also runs a community Rat Eradication Program, requested through community associations.

• The association asks first: The association emails Code Enforcement with the neighborhood name, a contact, the boundaries and the trash pickup day, and the county surveys the area. Many cases are handled with education and code enforcement, so not every neighborhood gets extermination.
• Only properties showing rats: Where Code Enforcement goes ahead with treatment, only properties with visible signs of rats are treated, by a licensed extermination company under county contract, and posted signs give the start date.
• Opting out: A resident who does not want the treatment can opt out with a Baltimore County waiver form.

The county's rat page reminds residents that Sections 13-7-305 and 13-7-306 make each of them responsible for keeping their own property free of rat harborage. To report another property, file the county's online complaint with the exact address. A neighborhood without a community association that wants the eradication program can call 410-887-3351.

About 22.3% of Towson's housing units are in buildings of 20 or more units, against 7.5% in Baltimore County. Counting every building of 5 or more units, the share rises to about 38.2%, against 25.1% county-wide.

• About 44.4% of Towson's occupied homes are rented, against 33.6% in Baltimore County, so most are still lived in by their owners.
• About 42.1% of units were built before 1960, against 32.1% in Baltimore County, while only about 14.3% date from 1980 to 1999, against 26.2% in Baltimore County.
• Every rental needs a Baltimore County rental license or an exemption before a tenant moves in, and a license runs 3 years.
• A building of 7 or more units or an apartment complex may skip the home inspector only with fewer than 3 fully adjudicated health and safety violations in 3 years, none under appeal; pests, rats or mold count as one.

For rental housing, Livability Code Section 35-5-206(e) puts extermination on the owner before renting where needed, on the tenant of a single-unit structure, and on the owner or operator of a structure with two or more units, unless the tenant's failure to take reasonable action caused the infestation inside the unit.

• Store feed covered: Under Section 13-7-310, animal and bird feed that rodents could eat must be stored in covered rat-proof containers.
• Feed without feeding rats: Section 13-7-310 bars feeding animals or birds so the food becomes a rodent food source. Feeding an ear-tipped feral cat under the county's TNR guidelines is not a nuisance unless it harms public health, safety, welfare or the environment.
• Piles that shelter rats: Section 13-7-312 bars letting lumber, brush, leaves and similar materials pile up where they are conducive to a rat harborage. Material stacked evenly on open racks at least 18 inches off the ground is exempt.
• Rodent-resistant cans: Section 13-4-201 calls for garbage in rodent-resistant, watertight containers with tight lids. Under county collection rules, lids may not be tied on, and cracked cans are not replaced by the county.