2888                            County Local Laws

Sec. 2. Severability.

The provisions of this Act are severable and if any provision,
sentence, clause, section or part thereof is held illegal, invalid or
unconstitutional or inapplicable to any person or circumstances, such
illegality, invalidity or unconstitutionality, or inapplicability shall
not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions, sentences,
clauses, sections or parts of the Act or their application to other
persons or circumstances. It is hereby declared to be the legislative
intent that this Act would have been adopted if such illegal, invalid
or unconstitutional provision, sentence, clause, section or part had
not been included therein, and if the person or circumstances to
which the Act or any part thereof is inapplicable had been specifically
exempted therefrom.

Sec. 3. The effective date of this amendment shall be July 1, 1971
and until such date the rate of tax under Section 84-25 (d) shall
remain at four percent.

Sec. 4. Emergency Legislation

The Council hereby declares that an emergency exists and that
this legislation is necessary for the immediate protection of public
health and safety. Therefore, this emergency legislation shall take
effect on the date on which it becomes law.

Effective: July 1, 1971

CHAPTER 48

(BILL NO. 8-71)

AN ACT to add a new Chapter 11A, title "Rat Control," to the
Montgomery County Code 1965, as amended, to follow immedi-
ately after Chapter 11 thereof, to define "rat," "extermination,"
"infestation," and other related terms; to authorize the County
Health Officer to identify and eliminate rat infestations; to
authorize the Health Officer to enter upon any property in the
County for the purpose of making inspections relative to rat
infestation either with the consent of the property owner or by
warrant obtained upon written application; to provide that it
shall be unlawful for any property owner to allow his property
to be infested with rats; to provide for written notice to the
owner of the property from the County Health Officer when rat
infestation is determined to exist; to authorize the County Health
Officer to enter upon property for the purpose of rat extermina-
tion at the cost of the property owner; to provide for appeals
from orders or actions of the County Health Officer to the Board
of Appeals; to authorize the Health Officer to control rat popula-