(A) Ratproofing required. All business buildings in the city shall be ratproofed, freed of rats and maintained in a ratproof and ratfree condition to the satisfaction of the health officer.
(`87 Code, § 12-29)
(B) Notice; compliance by owner. Upon receipt of written notice and/or order from the health officer, the owner of any business building specified therein shall take immediate measures for ratproofing the building; and unless said work and improvements have been completed by the owner in the time specified in the written notice, in no event to be less than 15 days, or within the time to which a written extension may have been granted by the health officer, then the owner shall be deemed guilty of an offense under the provisions of this subchapter.
(`87 Code, § 12-30)
(C) Notice; compliance by occupant. Whenever the health officer notifies the occupant or occupants of a business building in writing that there is evidence of rat infestation of the building, said occupant or occupants shall immediately institute rat eradication measures and shall continuously maintain such measures in a satisfactory manner until the premises is declared by the health officer to be free of rat infestation. Unless said measures are undertaken within five days after receipt of notice, it shall be construed as a violation of the provisions of this subchapter and occupant shall be held responsible therefor.
(`87 Code, § 12-31)
(D) Maintenance. The owners of all ratproofed business buildings are required to maintain the premises in a ratproofed condition and to repair all breaks or leaks that may occur in the ratproofing without a specific order of the health officer.
(`87 Code, § 12-32)
(E) Closure of occupied buildings. Whenever conditions inside or under any occupied business buildings within the city provide extensive harborage for rats in the opinion of the health officer, the health officer is empowered, after due notification in accordance with division (B) of this section, to close such business buildings until such time as the conditions are abated by ratproofing and harborage removal, including, if necessary, the installation of suitable concrete floors in basements or replacement of wooden first or ground floors with concrete or other major repairs necessary to facilitate rat eradication.
(`87 Code, § 12-33)
(F) Condemnation of unoccupied buildings. Whenever conditions inside or under any unoccupied business buildings provide extensive harborage for rats in the opinion of the health officer, the health officer is empowered to require compliance with the provisions of division (B) of this section, and in the event that said conditions are not corrected in the period of 60 days, or within the time to which a written extension may have been granted by the health officer, the health officer is empowered to institute condemnation and destruction proceedings.
(`87 Code, § 12-34) Penalty, see § 10.99