Seattle Rat Regulation Aimed at Construction Industry

Seattle is set to impose a new rat regulation aimed at the local construction industry, mynorthwest.com reported.

With so much development going on around the city, rats will move from formerly vacant and torn down properties into neighboring homes or buildings. That’s the corner of Seattle’s rat issue that the city wants to target.

Modeling it after similar regulations in Kirkland and Shoreline, Seattle will implement a rat eradication regulation on builders starting in 2017. It basically requires developers to prove they have consulted with a pest control agent before any vacant building is demolished. And if there is an issue, those rats have to be eradicated before the building comes down.

“That rat eradication program would have to be in place at least 15 days prior to the demolition — to ensure, to the best degree, possible that a pest control agent has taken steps to manage any sort of pest infestation on the property before the building comes down,” said Bryan Stevens with the City of Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections. “When you come in to demolish a building, where are the rats going to go? They are going to disperse and become a problem for everyone else in the neighborhood.”

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Source: mynorthwest.com