[1]
Breeding places as nuisance—see Chapter 6.20 of this code.
Each building or structure hereafter built, erected, or constructed within the city, which is designed or intended to be used for or as a hotel, having a dining room for guests or for the public, or a boarding house, slaughter house, packing house or bakery, or for the manufacture, preparation, storage, handling or displaying for the purpose of sale, or for the selling or offering for sale, or for the service to the public of any food or any food product for human consumption, shall be rat-proofed as hereinafter in this chapter provided.
(Ord. 282 § 1, 9-26-1933)
Each building or structure hereafter built, erected or constructed within the city, which is designed or intended to be used for the keeping, storage, handling, preparation or sale of any grain, or any product of grain, or any food for any animal or for poultry, shall be rat-proofed as hereinafter in this chapter provided.
(Ord. 282 § 2, 9-26-1933)
Any building or structure within the city, which was built, erected or constructed prior to October 26, 1933, and which is hereafter occupied or used for any purpose mentioned in Section 6.12.010 or Section 6.12.020 hereof, or any building or structure hereafter built, erected or constructed and at the time not designed or intended to be occupied or used for any such purpose but is thereafter so occupied or used, shall be rat-proofed as hereinafter in this chapter provided.
Provided, however, that the provisions of this section shall not be deemed nor construed as requiring the rat-proofing of any such building or structure referred to in this section, unless and until the health officer of the city or the person acting as health officer of the city, or the county health officer of Los Angeles County, California, in case said county health officer is at any time, under contract or otherwise, discharging the duty of city health officer of the city, or any of their respective authorized deputies or representatives, shall have first found and determined that such building or structure constitutes a rat harborage, and shall have served upon the owner, lessee, tenant or person in charge or control thereof, a notice, in writing, informing such owner, lessee, tenant or person of the existence of such rat harborage, and requiring such owner, lessee, tenant or person to rat-proof such building or structure, or to cause the same to be done, within such reasonable time as is stated in such notice.
(Ord. 282 § 3, 9-26-1933)
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or association to violate, or to fail to comply with, any provision of this chapter, or to neglect, fail or refuse to comply with the order contained in any notice served upon him, her or it pursuant to the provisions of Sections 6.12.030 hereof, or to neglect, fail or refuse to do, or cause to be done, within the time specified in such notice, the rat-proofing therein required.
(Ord. 282 § 4, 9-26-1933)
Each building or structure required by the provisions of this chapter to be rat-proofed, shall be rat-proofed in the manner hereinafter in this section provided.
(a) 
The ground floor of each such building or structure shall be of concrete, which shall be not less than three inches in thickness, and shall be overlaid with a top dressing of cement, mosaic, tiling or other material impervious to rats and other vermin, or such floor shall be of such other material and of such thickness as to be the equivalent of the floor hereinabove referred to. Each such floor shall rest upon the ground without any intervening space between it and such ground.
Such floor shall extend to, and be hermetically sealed to, the walls surrounding such floor, which walls shall be of concrete, stone, brick or other masonry laid in cement mortar, and each such wall shall be not less than six inches in thickness and shall extend into and below the surface of the surrounding ground not less than eighteen inches and shall extend upward not less than twelve inches above the surface of such floor. Provided, however, that in lieu of the ground floor hereinabove in this section provided, such building or structure may be rat-proofed by constructing the ground floor of such building or structure not less than eighteen inches above the ground, such distance to be measured from the adjoining ground level to the underside of such floor, and the intervening space between such floor and the ground shall be at all times maintained free from all rubbish or rat-harboring material.
Further provided that in lieu of the wall hereinabove in this section described there may be driven or placed into the ground, and immediately adjacent to the foundation wall of such building or structure, close fitting metal plates, which plates shall be of not less than ten gauge galvanized iron or such other metal equivalent thereto in strength and durability, which plates shall be driven or placed to a depth of not less than eighteen inches below the surface of the adjacent ground and shall extend upward a distance of not less than twelve inches above the surface of such ground. Such plates shall be driven or placed around the entire perimeter of such building or structure.
(b) 
Each opening in the foundation wall of any such building shall be rat-proofed by securely and adequately covering the entire surface thereof and securely fastening in place metallic grating having openings between the bars thereof of not more than one-half inch, or with a wire mesh of not less than twelve gauge, having openings between the wires thereof of not more than one-half inch, and each such screen, grating or wire mesh shall be so constructed, and installed as to effectively prevent the entrance of any rat beneath such building through any such opening.
(Ord. 282 § 5, 9-26-1933)
If in the opinion of the city health officer or person acting for such city health officer, or the county health officer in case said county health officer is at any time discharging the duties of said city health officer, under contract or otherwise, or any of their respective authorized deputies or representatives, it is unnecessary to rat-proof any building mentioned in Section 6.12.030 hereof in its entirety, the notice therein may specify that portion of such building used for any purpose herein in this chapter designated and may require such portion only to be so rat-proofed.
(Ord. 282 § 6, 9-26-1933)
Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punishable by a fine of not to exceed one thousand dollars or by imprisonment in the city jail of the city of South Gate, California, or in the county jail of Los Angeles County, California, as the committing magistrate may direct, for a period of not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court. Each separate day, or any portion thereof, during which any violation of this chapter occurs or continues shall be deemed to constitute a separate offense and upon conviction therefor shall be punishable as herein provided.
(Ord. 282 § 7, 9-26-1933; Ord. 2011 § 1 Exh. A (part), 8-27-1996)