Montgomery County                            2889

tion on publicly owned property; to provide penalties, upon con-
viction, for violations of this Act; and to authorize the County
Executive to adopt and enforce necessary rules and regulations.

Be It Enacted by the County Council for Montgomery County,
Maryland, that—

Sec. 1. A new Chapter 11A, title, "Rat Control," is hereby added
to the Montgomery County Code 1965, as amended to follow immedi-
ately after Chapter 11 thereof to read as follows:

Chapter 11A
RAT CONTROL
11A—1. Definitions

For the purpose of this Article, the following words and phrases
shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this Section:

a.    Commercial Exterminators. Shall mean a private operator
engaged in the business of rodent control and extermination.

b.    Extermination. Shall mean the elimination of all rats from
a given area, generally accomplished by using poisons, gas or traps, as
permitted by existing laws or regulations.

c.    Harborage. Shall mean any condition which provides shelter
or protection for rats, thus favoring their multiplication and con-
tinued existence on any premises. Harborage can be structural,
incidental or temporary.

d.    Health Officer. Shall mean the County Health Officer or his
duly authorized representatives.

e.    Infestation. Shall mean the presence of one or more rats
that have established residence in any given area. Observation of
live rats, active rat burrows, rat droppings, or rat runways or tracks
shall be considered prima facie evidence of rat infestation.

f.    Premises. Shall mean all buildings, land area, foliage, fences
or other appurtenances found on any given piece of property.

g.    Owner. Shall mean any owner, occupant, lessee, agent,
operator, partnership, corporation or any other person or persons in
custody of the premises as denned herein.

h. Rat. Any of the "domestic rodents" order Rodentia, family
Muridae, genus Rattus, species Norwegicus or Rattus, sub-species Rat-
tus, Alexandrinus, or Frugivorus.

i. Rat Feeding. Shall mean any condition which provides food
for rats, including but not limited to, stored food, garbage, pet food,
wild bird feed, vegetable gardens and fruit trees.