For the purpose of this Chapter, the following words and phrases have the following meanings:
Commercial exterminators: A private operator engaged in the business of rodent control and extermination.
Director: The Director of the Department of Health and Human Services or Director's designee.
Extermination: The elimination of all rats from a given area, generally accomplished by using poisons, gas or traps, as permitted by existing laws or regulations.
Harborage: Any condition which provides shelter or protection for rats, thus favoring their multiplication and continued existence on any premises. Harborage can be structural, incidental or temporary.
Infestation: The presence of one or more rats that have established residence in any given area. Observation of live rats, active rat burrows, rat droppings or rat runways or tracks shall be considered prima facie evidence of rat infestation.
Owner: Any owner, occupant, lessee, agent, operator, partnership, corporation or any other person or persons in custody of the premises as defined herein.
Premises: All buildings, land area, foliage, fences or other appurtenances found on any given piece of property.
Rat: Any of the domestic rodents order Rodentia, family Muridae. genus Rattus, subspecies Norwegicus or Rattus, Alexandrinus or Frugivorus.
Rat feeding: Any condition which provides food for rats, including but not limited to stored food, garbage, pet food, wild bird feed, vegetable gardens and fruit trees.
Ratproofing: Changing structural details and sealing openings to prevent or render more difficult the entry of rats into buildings. (1971 L.M.C., ch. 48, § 1; 1972 L.M.C., ch. 16, § 13; 1981 L.M.C., ch. 4, § 1; 1995 L.M.C., ch. 13, § 1.)
Editor's note-Section 5 of 1995 L.M.C., ch. 13, reads as follows: "Sec. 5. A regulation that implements a function assigned to the Department of Health and Human Services by 1995 LMC ch. 13 continues in effect but is amended to the extent necessary to provide that the regulation is administered by the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services."
