Lawrence Code of Ordinances ch. 15.12 § 15.12.210
Insect and rodent control
Operative Text
A. The occupant of each dwelling unit shall maintain the unit free from insects and rodents, and shall be responsible for exterminating them. B. The owner of a dwelling shall maintain, free from all insects and rodents, all hallways, passageways and stairways used or intended for use by the occupants of more than one dwelling unit or rooming unit, and the premises of the dwelling, and he or she shall be responsible for exterminating all such pests in those common areas. Further, the owner shall be responsible for exterminating all such pests that exist in any dwelling unit if his or her improper maintenance of the dwelling allowed them to exist, or if they exist in two or more dwelling units of one dwelling. C. The owner of a rooming house shall maintain it and its premises free from all insects and rodents, and shall be responsible for exterminating them. D. Extermination shall be accomplished by eliminating the harborage places of insects and rodents, by removing or making inaccessible materials that may serve as their food or breeding ground, by poisoning, spraying, fumigating, trapping or by any other recognized and legal pest-elimination method approved by the board of health.
Lawrence Code of Ordinances ch. 15.12 § 15.12.210 divides pest-control responsibility between occupants and owners based on where an infestation occurs and how it arose. Occupants are responsible for keeping their own individual dwelling units free of insects and rodents, while owners bear responsibility for common areas such as hallways, stairways, and passageways shared by multiple units. Owner responsibility also extends into individual units when the owner's own maintenance failures contributed to the infestation, or when pests are found in two or more units of the same building. Acceptable extermination methods include eliminating harborage sites, removing food or breeding sources, and using legally approved techniques such as poisoning, spraying, fumigating, or trapping.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Lawrence Code of Ordinances ch. 15.12 § 15.12.210, compliant property owners routinely inspect and treat all shared common areas—hallways, stairways, and passageways—for insects and rodents on a regular basis. Owners who maintain the physical structure in good repair, sealing entry points and eliminating conditions that attract pests, reduce the circumstances under which unit-level infestations become the owner's statutory responsibility. When pests are confirmed in two or more units of the same building, or when a maintenance deficiency is identified as a contributing factor, operators generally document the issue and arrange extermination using board-of-health-approved methods promptly.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Lawrence Code of Ordinances ch. 15.12 § 15.12.210 gives individual occupants the baseline duty to keep their own unit free of insects and rodents, but it also establishes clear situations in which that responsibility shifts to the owner—specifically when the owner's maintenance failures contributed to the problem or when pests appear in multiple units of the same building. Tenants who believe an infestation stems from a structural defect, a shared common area, or conditions affecting other units may have grounds to raise a violation of § 15.12.210 with the Lawrence code enforcement or housing authority. Tenant-rights organizations and legal aid resources can help occupants understand which enforcement paths—such as filing a complaint or raising the violation as a defense in a related proceeding—may be available given the circumstances.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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