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TN Rodent Control

Rodent Control in Hendersonville, Tennessee

Hendersonville's refuse code calls for rodent-proof cans with tight lids, and about 33.2% of the city's housing units were built between 1960 and 1979. For rats or mice, a pro handles removal of the animals already inside, then sealing the gaps they used. The can and yard rules below cover the outdoor side of the job.

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Statewide rules and background: Tennessee rodent guide

Rodent-proof cans are in the City code

In Hendersonville, Tennessee, the City's refuse code asks every residential property owner, and every person in charge of property where refuse is created or builds up, to keep it in rodent-proof, insect-proof cans with tight-fitting lids, put back promptly after use. For rats or mice already inside, the work is rat control or mouse control, then rodent exclusion to close off their ways in.

The City's can rule, and when the houses went up

Cans and set-out under the City's rules

Section 17-102 of Hendersonville's refuse code covers every residential property owner, owners of property used for lodging or apartments, and every person in charge of property where refuse is created or builds up. The City's collection guidelines for its contracted curbside service add a few rules of their own.

  • Rodent-proof cans, tight lids: Section 17-102 calls for strong, watertight cans that do not corrode easily and are rodent-proof and insect-proof, with tight-fitting lids. All refuse goes into the cans.
  • Lids back on, cans clean: Lids go back on promptly after each use, and cans are kept clean and free of odor. The premises stay clean and free of refuse piling up outside the cans.
  • Lids, bags and an early start: The City's collection guidelines add that all cans must have lids and all trash must be bagged. Trash goes out by 6:00 a.m. on the service day, with up to two additional bags beside the cans.

When the city's homes were built, and who owns them

About 33.2% of Hendersonville's housing units were built between 1960 and 1979, against 23.6% across Sumner County, 7.9% in Franklin and 11.2% in Murfreesboro. The median home dates to 1989, against 2002 in both Franklin and Murfreesboro. Homes built in 2000 or later are still the largest group, at about 37.6%.

About 28.3% of occupied homes are rented, against Sumner County's 28.0%, Franklin's 36.2% and Murfreesboro's 47.6%. The 2021 property maintenance code the City enforces gives pest elimination in a one-family dwelling to its occupant under Section 309.3, so in an owner-occupied house that is the owner.

What the yard storage rule covers

Hendersonville added its own open-storage section, 308.1.1, to the property maintenance code it adopted. The section does not mention rodents.

Situation: Open storage of wood, building materials, old appliances such as a refrigerator or stove, tires, furniture, construction debris or similar items, except as the zoning code allowsWho must act: The owner or occupant may not use the premises for itCode section: 308.1.1
Situation: Notice from the City's Codes Enforcement Officer or designeeWho must act: The owner or occupant removes those items, along with weeds, dead trees, household items, trash and garbage, and keeps the premises cleanCode section: 308.1.1

The City gives no rodent reason for the rule. Separately, UT Extension's rat advice includes removing piles of waste lumber or trash, abandoned large appliances and wood piles from next to the house.

Reporting a neglected property nearby

  • Property maintenance complaints go to the City's Property Maintenance Inspector through the My Hendersonville online portal, by phone at 615-590-4662, or by fax or mail. The City's Planning page places property maintenance with a Police Department division.
  • For high grass, litter or inoperable vehicles, Zoning Enforcement in the Planning Department sends a letter, then a second letter, then a citation. Public Works takes missed-trash reports at 615-822-1016, and other requests through its Report a Problem form.

Services, from the trash cans to the walls

  • Rodent Exclusion

    About 33.2% of Hendersonville's housing units were built between 1960 and 1979. UT Extension says mice can enter openings about 1/4 inch and rats need a 1/2-inch hole, so ask the pro which gaps on your house are rat-sized and which only mouse-sized.

  • Rat Extermination

    Hendersonville's refuse code wants rodent-proof cans with tight lids, and the City's open-storage section, 308.1.1, limits keeping wood, building materials and old appliances out in the yard. For Norway rats, this is the trapping side; the can checklist and storage table above cover the yard.

Related services

Common Questions About Hendersonville Rodent Control

  • Section 17-102 of the City's refuse code asks for strong, watertight cans that are rodent-proof and insect-proof, with tight-fitting lids put back promptly after use, and for all refuse to go inside them. The City's collection guidelines add a lid on every can and bagged trash. The checklist above gives the set-out time.

  • Some pages online name roof rats for this area, but UT Extension's note that roof rats are becoming more common is about Shelby County, not Sumner County. Before any work is planned, have the pro identify the rodent from droppings, gnaw marks or a trapped animal.

  • Not as open storage, unless the zoning code allows it. Section 308.1.1, a Hendersonville amendment to the adopted code, applies to the owner or occupant, and the items must be removed on notice from the Codes Enforcement Officer. UT Extension's rat advice also calls for moving waste lumber, wood piles and abandoned large appliances away from the house, as the note under the storage table says.

  • No. The City's trash page says move-out and clean-out piles are not collected at the curb, and that disposing of them falls to the property owner. Section 17-102 also asks for premises kept free of refuse piling up outside the cans, so arrange a haul-away before the pile goes out.

Nearby City Guides

Free Hendersonville Rodent Inspection

Look over your trash cans before the visit: a cracked can or a lid that no longer closes tightly is worth replacing at the same time as the rodent work.

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 17, Chapter 1 - Refuse (17-101 to 17-114), Hendersonville Municipal Code. City of Hendersonville, Tennessee (via Municode Library; Supplement 4, job 492657). Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  2. B25034: Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  3. Residential Trash Information. City of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Public Works. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  4. Collection Guidelines & FAQs. City of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Public Works. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  5. B25034: Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Sumner County). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  6. B25034: Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Franklin). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  7. B25034: Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Murfreesboro). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  8. B25035: Median Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  9. B25035: Median Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Franklin). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  10. B25035: Median Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Murfreesboro). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  11. B25003: Tenure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  12. B25003: Tenure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Sumner County). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  13. B25003: Tenure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Franklin). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  14. B25003: Tenure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Murfreesboro). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  15. Title 13, Chapter 1 - Property Maintenance Code (13-101 to 13-103), Hendersonville Municipal Code. City of Hendersonville, Tennessee (via Municode Library; Supplement 4, job 492657). Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  16. Title 12, Chapter 9 - Housing Code (12-901), Hendersonville Municipal Code. City of Hendersonville, Tennessee (via Municode Library; Supplement 4, job 492657). Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  17. Property Maintenance Information. City of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Building & Codes. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  18. Policies & Codes Adopted. City of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Building & Codes. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  19. 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, Chapter 3 General Requirements. International Code Council. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  20. PB1303: Managing Pests Around the Home. University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, UT Extension. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  21. Police. City of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Police Department. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  22. Zoning Enforcement. City of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Planning Department. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  23. Report a Problem. City of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Public Works. Retrieved 2026-09-27.

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