Lakewood Municipal Code Ch. 9 Mosquitoes

A. Any standing water on private property which has become a breeding source for mosquitoes is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and an immediate threat to the public health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Lakewood.

B. When the City Manager, or officers under his direction, acting under any authority vested in him or her finds any standing water on private property which has become a breeding source for mosquitoes, said officer may issue a written order to abate the standing water or other condition within the City of Lakewood that endangers the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Lakewood. The owner(s) or other person(s) responsible for the private property where the breeding source was found shall have 72 hours to abate or eliminate the condition which created the breeding source for mosquitoes. The failure by any owner(s) or responsible person(s) to comply with a 72-hour nuisance abatement order issued pursuant to this section shall constitute a misdemeanor, punishable as provided in this Code.

C. If any officer, as described in this section, who is lawfully on private property finds a nuisance, as described in this section, and is unable to contact the owner(s) or other person(s) responsible for such private property within 24 hours, the City may summarily abate such nuisance at no cost to the owner(s) or responsible person(s). If a nuisance has been abated without the knowledge or permission of the owner(s) or other responsible person(s), then the City shall post a notice on the property in a prominent place, which notice explains exactly where the nuisance was located, and what steps were taken to abate the nuisance.

D. If the owner(s) or responsible person(s) who has/have been ordered to abate a nuisance within 72 hours fails to do so, the City may summarily abate the nuisance. All costs incurred to abate the nuisance pursuant to this section shall be a personal obligation of the owner(s) or person(s) responsible for the creation or maintenance of the nuisance. The City shall have the right to recover such costs in any manner consistent with the provisions of this Code and other applicable law.