Rat Control Regulations.
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 80-48
in effect80-48. Rat Control Regulations.
1. DEFINITIONS. a. "Hardware cloth" shall mean wire screening of such thickness and spacing as to afford reasonable protection against the entrance of rats and mice.
b. "Owner or manager." Whenever any person or persons shall be in actual possession of or have charge, care or control of any property within the city, as executor, administrator, trustee, guardian or agent, such person or persons shall be deemed and taken to be the owner or owners of such property within the true intent and meaning of this section and shall be bound to comply with this section to the same extent as the owner, and notice to any such person of any order or decision of the commissioner shall be deemed and taken to be a good and sufficient notice, as if such person or persons were actually the owner or owners of such property, except that whenever an entire premises or building is occupied as a place of business such as a store, factory, or warehouse, rooming house, junk yard, lumber yard or any other business under a single management, the person, firm or corporation in charge of such business shall be considered the owner or manager.
c. "Rat harborage" shall mean any place where rats can live and nest without fear of frequent molestation or disturbance.
d. A "rat-proof container" shall be a container constructed of concrete or metal, or the container shall be lined with metal or other material that is impervious to rats and openings into the container such as doors shall be tightfitting to prevent the entrance of rats.
e. "Ratproofing" shall consist of closing openings in building foundations and openings under and around doors, windows, vents and other places which could provide means of entry for rats with concrete, sheet iron, hardware cloth or other types of ratproofing material approved by the commissioner.
2. ELIMINATION OF RAT HARBORAGES. Whenever accumulations of rubbish, boxes, lumber, scrap metal, car bodies or any other materials provide rat harborage, the person, firm or corporation owning or in control of such materials shall cause the materials to be removed or the materials shall be stored so as to eliminate the rat harborage. Lumber boxes and similar materials shall be neatly piled. These piles shall be raised at least a foot above the ground. When the owner of the materials cannot be found, after reasonable search, the owner or manager of the premises on which the materials are stored shall be responsible for disposal, or proper piling, of the materials.
3. ELIMINATION OF RAT FEEDING PLACES. No person, firm or corporation shall place, or allow to accumulate, any materials that may serve as a food for rats in a site accessible to rats. Any waste material that may serve as food for rats shall be stored in ratproof containers. Feed for birds shall be placed in compliance with s. 78-35.
4. EXTERMINATION. Whenever rat holes, burrows or other evidence of rat infestation are found on any premises or in any building within the city, it shall be the duty of the owner or manager of such property to exterminate the rats or cause the rats to be exterminated. Within 10 days after extermination, the owner or manager shall cause all of the rat holes or burrows in the ground to be filled with earth, ashes or other suitable material.
5. RATPROOFING. It shall be the duty of the owner or manager of any building in the city to make such building reasonably ratproof, to replace broken basement windows, and when necessary to cover the basement window openings with hardware cloth or other suitable material for preventing rats from entering the building through such window openings. The owner or manager of any premises upon which sheds, barns, coops or similar buildings are located shall eliminate the rat harborages from within and under such buildings by ratproofing, raising the buildings above the ground or by some other suitable methods; or such sheds, barns, coops or other buildings shall be razed.
6. ELIMINATION OF RAT INFESTATIONS. Not less than 24 hours after the mailing or service and posting of an order and notice to eliminate a rat infestation, if the rat infestation has not been eliminated, the commissioner may have the rats exterminated at the city’s expense. The costs of such action may be collected from the owner of the premises on which the rat infestation had existed or may be charged against the premises and assessed and collected as a special charge, upon notification by the commissioner to the city treasurer.
Source: City of Milwaukee Legislative Reference Bureau, Milwaukee City Charter and Code of Ordinances (city.milwaukee.gov master PDFs)URL: https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/ccClerk/Ordinances/Volume-1/CH80.pdf#page=18Fetched: 10/26/2026