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TN Rodent Control

Rodent Control in Clarksville, Tennessee

Clarksville's own code makes a building's owner responsible for exterminating rodents and other pests, and Section 4-603(g)(5) applies that to a single house as well as to a building with two or more units. For rats or mice in a rental, see below what the code asks of tenants, the can rules that apply whoever hauls your trash, and how removal and sealing fit together.

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Statewide rules and background: Tennessee rodent guide

Who exterminates is written into the City code

Clarksville has its own Property Maintenance Code and has not adopted the IPMC. Under Section 4-603(g)(5), exterminating rodents and other pests within a building or on its premises is the owner's job, whether the building is a single dwelling or holds two or more dwelling units. The tenant's part is different: garbage, rubbish and other organic waste that might feed rodents go into the containers.

For a tenant, that means telling the owner in writing when rats or mice turn up, since Section 4-603(g)(5) puts extermination on the owner.

The owner rule, and the homes it reaches

Pests and garbage under the City code

The City of Clarksville Property Maintenance Code, set out in Section 4-601, applies to all buildings and accessory structures in the city. When the City adopted its residential code, Section 4-801 pointed it to this City code in place of the IPMC. The duties below are from Section 4-603(g).

Situation: Insects, rodents, wood-destroying organisms or other pests in a single dwelling building or on its premisesWho must act: The owner of the building is responsible for exterminating themCode section: 4-603(g)(5)
Situation: The same pests in a building that contains two or more dwelling units, or on its premisesWho must act: That building's owner is responsible for the exterminationCode section: 4-603(g)(5)
Situation: Garbage, rubbish, and any other organic waste which might provide food for rodentsWho must act: Every tenant places it in the disposal facilities or in the garbage or rubbish storage containersCode section: 4-603(g)(3)
Situation: The share of the dwelling a tenant occupiesWho must act: Kept clean and sanitary by that tenantCode section: 4-603(g)(2)
Situation: Shared or common areas of a multiple dwelling, which the code defines as a building for more than two familiesWho must act: Kept clean and sanitary by the ownerCode section: 4-603(g)(1)

A plain summary, not legal advice. In a rental, report rodents to the owner in writing, and check the lease for any separate agreement about maintenance.

Most renters here live in houses or small buildings

About 67.1% of Clarksville's renter households live in a detached or attached house or in a building of 2 to 4 units, against 26.3% in Franklin and 38.6% in Murfreesboro. About 14.2% of all housing units in Clarksville are in buildings of 5 or more units.

Section 4-603(g)(5) in the table above covers a rented house as well as an apartment building.

Private haulers, and the City's can rules

Clarksville trash goes out with private haulers, not on one City route. Under Section 8-206 the City licenses anyone who hauls garbage for pay, with a decal and number for each truck, and Bi-County Solid Waste Management says residents pay private haulers for pickup. Whoever collects, these City rules apply.

  • Lids that stop animals: Section 8-202(2) wants garbage and refuse containers covered so nothing spills, with a cover built to stop animals pilfering the contents. The code says animals, not rats, but a tight lid keeps food in the trash from rats too.
  • Cans behind the house front: Between pickups, Section 8-203(b) keeps cans no closer to the street than the front building line of the house. On a corner lot, that means beside or behind the house.
  • Empty homes fall to owners: Under Section 8-201, occupants keep the premises free of unsanitary accumulations of garbage and trash, and the owner takes that duty on while the premises are empty.

An overgrown lot the code links to rats

Section 8-112 names rats in its trigger: the City can act when an owner of record lets trees, vines, grass, underbrush, debris, trash or garbage build up so as to endanger health, safety or welfare, or to encourage infestation by rats and other harmful animals.

In one line: the owner is mailed a notice and may ask for a hearing within 10 days, and if nothing is done the City has the lot cleared at the owner's cost, which becomes a lien once filed with the Register of Deeds, plus an administrative fee.

Where to take a complaint in the city

  • Codes Enforcement, part of Building and Codes (931-645-7426), reviews property maintenance rules and issues violation notices when needed. Complaints go in through the City's SeeClickFix system, by app or web form.
  • Renters can file the City's Housing Inspection Request form, which asks for photo ID, the rental or lease agreement and a rent payment receipt. Building and Codes itself is at 100 S. Spring Street.

Where Tennessee's landlord act fits in

In Tennessee, the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act covers only counties that had more than 75,000 people at the 2010 census. Montgomery County had 172,331, so the Act reaches the Clarksville rentals it covers, with some arrangements excluded. It names no pests; it points landlords to the applicable housing codes, such as the City's. A summary, not legal advice.

Situation: Any applicable building or housing code with a material effect on health and safetyWho must act: The landlord must comply. Where that duty is greater than the Act's other upkeep duties, it governsCode section: T.C.A. 66-28-304(a)(1) and (b)

Sealing to code, and booking as a renter

  • Rodent Exclusion

    Section 4-603(c) of Clarksville's code asks for rodent-proof windows, exterior and cellar doors and hatchways, exterior door frames with weather-stripping and thresholds, and every floor, interior wall and ceiling substantially rodent proof. Exclusion work closes the gaps that fall short once the animals are out.

  • Mouse Extermination

    In a rented Clarksville house or duplex, read the Section 4-603(g)(5) rows in the pest table above before booking mouse work, then tell the owner in writing and look in the lease for a separate maintenance agreement. If the scratching comes from inside a wall, getting mice out of walls explains the options, and house mice covers the species.

Related services

Common Questions About Clarksville Rodent Control

  • Section 4-603(g)(5) of the City's own property code puts extermination on the owner of the building, and a single house counts. Tennessee law, in Tenn. Code 66-28-304(c), also lets a landlord and tenant agree in writing, in good faith and not to evade the landlord's obligations, that the tenant does specified maintenance tasks. Tell the owner about the mice in writing and keep a copy, check the lease against both rules, and bring in Codes Enforcement if the owner does not act.

  • The City's own. Clarksville has its own Property Maintenance Code, named in Section 4-601, and has not adopted the IPMC; its residential-code adoption points to that City code in place of the IPMC. So for who handles pests at a Clarksville address, read the table on this page rather than an IPMC summary written for another city.

  • Start with the places Section 4-603(c) of the City's code names: windows, exterior and cellar doors, hatchways, and exterior door frames, which need weather-stripping and thresholds. Then go inside to floors, interior walls and ceilings. Ask the pro to list each gap found and the material used, and in a rental send a copy of that list to the owner.

  • The City's Housing Inspection Request form lists the documents it needs, as the complaint list above shows. Add dated photos of droppings, gnaw marks or gaps, and a copy of any written notice you sent the owner.

  • Section 4-603(g)(5) of the City code puts extermination in a duplex or apartment building on the building's owner. Write to the owner, say where you find droppings or hear noises and that they seem to come through the shared wall, and ask for the pro to check both sides. Check your lease too, for any separate maintenance agreement.

  • Send it to the City's Codes Enforcement Division through SeeClickFix, by app or web form, as the complaint list above explains. Under Section 8-112 the City mails its notice to the owner of record, and the overgrown-lot block above sums up what can follow. Dated photos of the growth or debris make the report easier to act on.

Free Clarksville Rodent Inspection

Have the lease to hand if you rent, and note where you have seen droppings, gnawing or grease marks, and when you heard any scratching.

What happens next

  1. Call and describe what you have seen and where.
  2. A trusted local pro can set up an inspection and confirm whether you have rats or mice.
  3. Ask them to explain trapping, removal and sealing, and what the work involves, before any work starts.
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Sources

  1. Title 4, Chapter 6 - Property Maintenance Code, Official Code of the City of Clarksville. City of Clarksville, Tennessee (via Municode Library; codified through Ord. No. 64-2025-26, enacted May 7, 2026, Supp. 111 Update 2). Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  2. Title 8 - Health and Sanitation, Official Code of the City of Clarksville. City of Clarksville, Tennessee (via Municode Library; codified through Ord. No. 64-2025-26, enacted May 7, 2026, Supp. 111 Update 2). Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  3. Sec. 4-801 International Residential Code, Official Code of the City of Clarksville. City of Clarksville, Tennessee (via Municode Library; read through the Municode API, product 10557, job 496366, which the API names Supplement 110 Update 2). Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  4. Current Adopted Codes. City of Clarksville, Tennessee, Building and Codes Department. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  5. Sec. 4-201 Building code adopted, Official Code of the City of Clarksville. City of Clarksville, Tennessee (via Municode Library; read through the Municode API, product 10557, job 496366, which the API names Supplement 110 Update 2). Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  6. B25032: Tenure by Units in Structure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  7. B25032: Tenure by Units in Structure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Franklin). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  8. B25032: Tenure by Units in Structure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Murfreesboro). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  9. B25024: Units in Structure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  10. Bi-County Solid Waste Management User Fee FAQ. Montgomery County, Tennessee, Bi-County Solid Waste Management. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  11. Bi-County Solid Waste Management: Facts About the Landfill. Montgomery County, Tennessee, Bi-County Solid Waste Management. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  12. Tennessee Code 6-54-113 (2025), Removal of vegetation and debris from certain lots. Justia (compilation of the Tennessee Code Annotated). Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  13. Codes Enforcement Division. City of Clarksville, Tennessee, Building and Codes Department. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  14. Report a Concern Via SeeClickFix. City of Clarksville, Tennessee. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  15. Housing Inspection Request Form. City of Clarksville, Tennessee, Building and Codes Department (SeamlessDocs). Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  16. Tennessee Code 66-28-102 (2025), Application; Preemption. Justia (compilation of the Tennessee Code Annotated). Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  17. Tennessee Code 66-28-304 (2025), Maintenance by landlord. Justia (compilation of the Tennessee Code Annotated). Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  18. County Population Totals 2010-2019 (CENSUS2010POP column). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  19. PB1868: Managing Wildlife Around Your Home. University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, UT Extension. Retrieved 2026-09-27.

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