[HISTORY: Derived from Art. XV of Ch. XXV of the Charter
and Ordinances, 1974, of the City of Buffalo. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
It shall be the duty of the Commissioner of Street Sanitation
to cause an inspection to be made of any premises within the City
which he has good reason to believe is not in a ratproof condition.
Report of said inspection shall be filed in the office of the Commissioner.
A.
It shall be unlawful for the owner or occupant of any premises to
maintain said premises in a rat-infested condition. Every owner or
occupant of any such premises shall take prompt steps to remedy any
such insanitary condition by ratproofing or other equivalent measures.
After the owner or occupant of any such premises has been notified
by the Commissioner of Street Sanitation that said premises are rat-infested,
it shall be his duty to take immediate measures to remedy said condition.
B.
Where the owner or occupant of any rat-infested premises has received
the notice herein stated, he shall promptly report to the Commissioner
of Street Sanitation what steps have been taken by such owner or occupant
to rid said premises of said rat infestation.
C.
The notice referred to herein shall be in writing, shall bear the
date of issuance and shall be signed by the Commissioner of Street
Sanitation, his deputy or other duly authorized representative. Any
such notice may be served by depositing said notice, enclosed in a
postpaid wrapper and addressed to the person to be notified, in the
post office of the City of Buffalo or by delivery thereof to the owner
or occupant of or to a person in charge of the premises referred to
in said notice. Delivery may be made by an employee of the Department
of Street Sanitation or Police. Every such notice, where possible,
shall describe by street and number the premises which it relates
to and shall state in detail the location and nature of the condition
which causes the insanitary condition described therein.
After the adoption of this chapter, no building or structure
shall be erected, repaired, altered or extended unless provision is
made in the plans for ratproofing such building or structure or such
part thereof to be repaired, altered or extended.
All applications for licenses, or the renewal thereof, to sell
foodstuffs or in any wise deal in food for human consumption within
the City shall be referred to the Commissioner of Health for his approval.
The approval by the Commissioner shall, among other things, include
the matter of safety of food from contamination by rats, mice, insects
or other pests on the premises involved.
No person shall feed wild birds other than in suitable containers
for the food, elevated at least 48 inches above the ground level.
The Commissioner of Street Sanitation shall supply information for
the proper feeding of wild birds to citizens requesting it.
No person shall feed in the open any domesticated fowl, birds
or animals other than in suitable containers to prevent scattering
of such food upon the ground or ground level so as to provide food
for rodents. Information as to the proper feeding of such fowl, birds
or animals shall be furnished upon request by the Commissioner of
Street Sanitation.
Upon the written request of the owner of a dwelling and at the
discretion and with the approval of the Commissioner of Street Sanitation
as to necessity therefor, employees of the City vermin control may
enter upon such private premises to help and assist the owner thereof
in ridding said premises of rat infestation. Such assistance shall
be of a kind and to an extent as permitted by the Commissioner of
Street Sanitation.
No person, firm or corporation, including any municipal corporation
or other governmental agency, shall commence the construction, rehabilitation
or major repair of any building or other structure within the City
of Buffalo without first having filed with the Department of Street
Sanitation a plan for rodent control on or about the work site; and
the Department of Street Sanitation shall have filed a written report
with the Department of Inspections and Licenses that said plan is
acceptable to the City and to the Erie County Health Department and
will eliminate or prevent rodent infestation on the work site and
the adjoining areas.
