A beachfront community in Los Angeles County, Hermosa Beach is a town with about 20,000 residents. The popular shorefront at Hermosa Beach is nestled between Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach.

Hermosa Beach extends for only about 15 blocks from the beach itself. It is renowned for sunbathing, beach volleyball, surfing, paddle-boarding, and bars. The Strand, which runs along the beach, is where most of the popular eateries and bars in the town are situated. One of the latest developments in Hermosa Beach is the Strand & Pier, a boutique hotel located shoreside.

Health Code Issues in Hermosa Beach

As is the case with any community in which there is a significant number of eateries, bars, and similar establishments, health code issues do arise from time to time. These businesses are required to submit to health department inspections from time to time. They are also inspected when a complaint is received about an establishment.

The most common types of health code issues reported in Hermosa Beach are:

  • Unclean food surfaces
  • Unclean or unkempt physical facilities
  • Inadequate hand washing facilities
  • Rodent infestation and rat droppings

Rats have a tendency to cluster in areas near water. This includes residential and commercial properties located in these types of areas. As a consequence, from time to time, issues pertaining to a rat infestation and rat droppings arise in businesses and at homes in Hermosa Beach. Rats also become an issue in abandoned properties of different types.

Serious Diseases Associated With Rodents and Rat Droppings

A number of diseases can be caused by exposure to rodents and rat droppings. The comprehensive list of these diseases is:

  • Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
  • Lassa Fever
  • Leptospirosis
  • Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCM)
  • Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever
  • Plague
  • Rat-Bite Fever
  • Salmonellosis
  • South American Arenaviruses
  • Tularemia

It’s important to keep in mind that some of these diseases haven’t occurred in the United States, let alone in Hermosa Beach. With that understood, it’s also important to understand that diseases that have yet to occur in Hermosa Beach can end up in this community. With international travel and with greater Los Angeles being an international port, rats can end up in this area from overseas. These foreign rodents and associated rat droppings can end up arriving on our shore, bearing disease that has not yet been transmitted in Hermosa Beach.

Self-Help Rat Droppings Cleanup in Hermosa Beach

A mistake some people do make in Hermosa Beach is undertaking rat droppings cleanup on their own. This occurs because home and business owners in the community do not fully understand the serious health risk presented by rat droppings.

Rat droppings become particularly hazardous when they dry out. Because of the composition of rat dropping, they crumble easily once dry. When crumbled, this waste releases dust into the air. If the droppings are contaminated with some type of bacteria or virus, that is released into the air as well.

If a person is attempting to clean up dried rat droppings but lacks proper materials, supplies, and personal protective gear to do so, that individual will be exposed to dust and pathogens. These will be inhaled, likely resulting in an infection.

The dangers associated with rat droppings clean-up undertaken by a layperson are real and profound. Thus, a home or business owner in Hermosa Beach faced with this type of issue best accomplished a rat droppings cleanup task safely and effectively relying on a biohazard cleanup professional.

Professional Rat Droppings Cleanup

If you face a situation at your home or business involving rat droppings, you should not waste time in reaching out to a biohazard cleanup professional. A rat droppings cleanup professional can be at your site in a short amount of time to evaluate the situation and propose a course of action.

Health and Safety Code Violations in Hermosa Beach

If you believe that a health or safety code violation exists, there are resources available to you through which you can make a report to the City of Hermosa Beach Code Enforcement Office. For example, if you’re at an eatery and believe you’ve spotted rat droppings or other evidence of rat infestation, you can make a report. The same holds true if you encounter an abandoned building that appears as if it is infested with rats or other dangerous vermin. The Hermosa Beach code enforcement team can be reached at:

Bob Rollins
Building/Code Enforcement Official
(310) 318-0219
[email protected]

Jim Heenan
Fire Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer
(310) 318-0250
[email protected]

Meah Stafford
Code Enforcement Officer
(310) 678-5540
[email protected]

The duty of the Hermosa Beach Code Enforcement Office is “to enhance the quality of life in the City of Hermosa Beach by enforcing City and State codes. These codes are essential in keeping the City of Hermosa Beach safe and maintaining a neat and orderly appearance. Our dedicated and professionally trained officers are focused on promoting health and safety.”

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