North Carolina Jail Sanitation, 15A NCAC 18A .1515: Vermin Control, Adopted into the Jail Standards

Citation

North Carolina Administrative Code, Title 15A, Chapter 18A, Section .1500 (Sanitation of Local Confinement Facilities), Rule .1515, adopted by the Commission for Public Health, and Title 10A, Chapter 14J (Jails, Local Confinement Facilities), Rule .0701, which adopts the .1500 rules by reference. Read from the Office of Administrative Hearings’ official rule files (served only over plain http at reports.oah.state.nc.us) on September 26, 2026. The same Rule .1515 text appears in the Division of Public Health’s compilation of the .1500 rules linked as the source above.

What It Says (Verbatim)

15A NCAC 18A .1515 (the rule in full):

“(a) Effective measures shall be taken to keep flies, rodents, and other vermin out of the local confinement facility and to prevent their breeding or presence on the premises. (b) The premises under control of the custodian shall be kept neat, clean, and free of litter. (c) Unless flies and other flying insects are absent from the immediate vicinity of the local confinement facility, all openings to the outer air shall be effectively protected against entrance of such insects by self-closing doors, closed windows, 16-mesh or finer screening, or other effective means. (d) Only those pesticides shall be used which have been approved for a specific use and properly registered with the Environmental Protection Agency and with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture in accordance with the “Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act” and the “North Carolina Pesticide Law.""

10A NCAC 14J .0701, adoption into the jail standards:

“Each jail shall comply with the North Carolina Commission for Public Health rules governing sanitation as codified in Title 15A Chapter 18A Section .1500 and which are hereby adopted by reference pursuant to G.S. 150B-14(c).”

15A NCAC 18A .1503, inspection frequency:

“Inspections of local confinement facilities shall be made at least once a year.”

What It Means in Plain Language

1. Two codes, one duty. The pest text is a public health rule; the jail standards adopt it by reference, so both are cited.
2. Effective measures, out and not breeding. Keep flies, rodents and other vermin out, and prevent their breeding or presence on the premises.
3. Exclusion. Self-closing doors, closed windows, 16-mesh or finer screening, or other effective means, unless flying insects are absent nearby.
4. Registered pesticides only, EPA and North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
5. Annual inspection by the local health department, scored on a demerit system.

Who It Applies To

All jails, under 10A NCAC 14J .0102(a) and .0701, and municipal lockups through 14J .1718. The .1500 rules define local confinement facilities broadly, including county and municipal facilities, lockups, and regional or district facilities.

10A NCAC 14J .0102(a):

“(a) The standards established in Section .0100 through .1100 and Section .1300 of this Subchapter shall apply to all jails.”

Documentation Evidence

• Pest control service records showing effective measures
• Screen, door, and window condition records
• Pesticide product records showing EPA and state registration
• The local health department’s annual sanitation inspection and demerit score

Confidence Notes

HIGH confidence. Both rules were read from the Office of Administrative Hearings’ official files; .1515’s history note shows it was last amended in 1990 and confirmed necessary in 2019. Rule .0701’s incorporation language does not say “including subsequent amendments”; .1718’s does.