The traps already in your Agoura Hills home deserve a check as you prepare for a sale, review a rental or arrange pest service. The city says its new glue trap ban takes effect December 1, 2026. If the ordinance was adopted as scheduled, setting or using glue traps within the city is unlawful from that date under section 5701(b), including when you direct or permit someone else to use them.
That includes small insect glue boards. Before changing your pest service or preparing a property for handoff, check the equipment and ask the contractor what methods it plans to use.
What is the rule’s status?
Adoption was scheduled for October 14, 2026, and the city says the rule takes effect December 1, 2026, with enforcement delayed until then.
As of October 20, 2026, the city had not posted minutes confirming the vote.
At an adjourned meeting on September 22, 2026, the City Council held a public hearing and introduced Ordinance No. 26-489 on a 4-0 vote, with one member absent. Final adoption appeared as consent calendar item 11 on the October 14 agenda.
The October 14 staff report gives December 1 as the effective date. The draft’s section 5 says the ordinance takes effect thirty days after adoption, while its recitals direct the city to delay enforcement until December 1 to allow time for education and compliance.
The City Clerk can confirm the final adopted wording and vote if you need to establish the adoption record.
What does the ordinance prohibit?
Section 5701 prohibits selling glue traps and setting, placing or otherwise using them to capture or kill any animal within Agoura Hills.
Ordinance No. 26-489 adds Chapter 7, “Glue Traps,” to Article V, “Sanitation and Health,” of the Municipal Code. Its two sections address definitions and prohibitions.
The sales restriction includes offering or displaying glue traps for sale. Section 5700 also defines sale broadly, including transfers, exchanges, barter, gifts and distribution for a commercial purpose.
For a homeowner, the use restriction is the practical point. Buying a trap somewhere else doesn’t change the prohibition on using it within Agoura Hills. The language also reaches anyone who directs or permits another person to set, place or use one. That makes your instructions to a hired pest control company relevant, even if you never handle the trap yourself.
Are insect boards and property trusts covered?
Yes, the definitions cover insects and include trusts, limited liability companies and associations within the meaning of “Person.”
Section 5700 defines an animal as any vertebrate or invertebrate animal, including rodents, birds, reptiles and insects. A glue trap is a device designed or capable of capturing an animal through an adhesive or similar sticky substance.
There is no small-trap or insect-trap exemption in the text. A compact glue board intended for insects falls within those definitions.
The definition of “Person” also includes corporations, partnerships, public entities and other listed legal forms. If you hold a rental through an LLC or own a house in a trust, that ownership structure doesn’t take it outside the definition. Associations are included too, although the chapter says nothing specifically about HOAs.
What should you check before December 1?
Before December 1, check for traps already set and ask your pest contractor to explain its planned methods.
Walk through the house and garage, and include the crawlspace in your review. Look for insect glue boards as well as larger traps. If you don’t know what’s in a less accessible space, ask the contractor to identify the devices it has placed.
Then make the next service visit specific:
- Ask whether the current service uses any adhesive traps.
- Ask what will replace them and when the change will happen.
- Review prevention work, including entry points and available food or water.
For a landlord, include rental properties in that review rather than checking only your own residence. If you’re selling, use the preparation period to understand what equipment is present before the property changes hands.
A pre-listing inspection can be part of your broader sale preparation. The ordinance itself doesn’t say an inspection must address glue traps.
What changes on December 1?
If the ordinance was adopted as scheduled, section 5701(b) makes setting or using a glue trap within the city unlawful from December 1, the city’s stated effective and enforcement date.
That means a review should include traps already placed in the house, garage or crawlspace. Don’t limit the conversation to whether a contractor plans to bring new ones.
The sources don’t give a separate removal deadline for existing traps beyond the December 1 effective and enforcement statements. Ask the city how the adopted rule applies if you’re uncertain about a device already in place.
For a buyer, ask what pest methods are currently being used and what equipment will remain at the property. For a seller or landlord, make the instructions to the contractor clear enough that future service follows the rule.
What alternatives does the staff report identify?
The staff report identifies other trap types and prevention steps that you can discuss with your pest contractor.
For rodents, it lists snap traps, live-capture traps and electric traps. For insects and other small pests, it names enclosed traps, catch-and-release devices and other targeted pest-control methods. Those are the report’s alternatives, rather than a property-specific recommendation.
Prevention matters too. The report says proper sanitation, sealing entry points, and removing food and water sources can help reduce pest activity and may prevent the need for traps altogether.
The September 22 staff report and attached draft explain the city’s concerns, including unintended capture of other animals. The report also attributes potential health concerns associated with confined animals to CDC cautions. Ask your contractor which alternative fits the pest issue at your property.
Does the chapter require disclosure or state a fine?
No, Chapter 7 says nothing about seller disclosure and states no fine amount, penalty or enforcement process.
Don’t turn that silence into a new transaction requirement. The chapter doesn’t say glue traps must appear in a seller disclosure, home inspection or termite report. For broader transaction context, read the California seller disclosure guide, keeping those general obligations separate from what this ordinance actually says.
Likewise, the inclusion of associations in “Person” doesn’t create a stated HOA disclosure requirement. The California HOA disclosure guide addresses that broader sale topic.
If you need an answer about enforcement or the final adopted language, check with the City of Agoura Hills. This guide is educational, not legal advice.
The short version
You should review existing traps and contractor instructions before the city’s stated December 1, 2026 start date.
The rule covers adhesive traps for insects as well as other animals, and it reaches owners who direct or permit hired contractors to use them. Check the property, discuss alternatives and confirm unresolved questions with the city.
If you’re also planning a sale, start with the home value tool.
Common questions
When does Agoura Hills say the glue trap ban takes effect?
The city says the rule takes effect December 1, 2026, with enforcement delayed until then. Adoption was scheduled for October 14, 2026. Confirm the adopted text with the City Clerk.
Are small glue boards for insects covered?
Yes. Section 5700 includes insects in its definition of Animal, and the ordinance text contains no exemption for insect traps or small traps.
Does the rule cover a pest control company an owner hires?
Yes. Section 5701 prohibits directing or permitting another person to set, place or use a glue trap to capture or kill an animal within the city.
Does the new chapter state a fine or require seller disclosure?
Chapter 7 states no fine amount, penalty or enforcement process. It also says nothing about seller disclosure.
