FAIRFAX TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE August 5, 2026
PREPARED FOR Mayor and Town Council
PREPARED BY Kristin Arnold, Public Works Director
SUBJECT Adopt a Resolution Authorizing an Exception to the Town’s Pesticide Ordinance for Targeted Flea Treatment Beneath the Temporary Fire Station
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a Resolution Authorizing an Exception to the Town’s Pesticide Ordinance for Targeted Flea Treatment Beneath the Temporary Fire Station
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Town staff have used several non-pesticide methods to resolve a recent severe flea infestation at Peri Park, in strict compliance with the Town’s Pesticide ordinance. However, staff is seeking a one-time limited exemption from the Council, as allowed by the ordinance, in order to pesticide treat the enclosed area underneath the temporary fire station. Restricted access to the crawl space area and the need for full effectiveness on the full life cycle of fleas has made staff suggest pesticide treatment only in this area. The public safety goal of this recommendation is to keep the fire station operational in Fairfax.
BACKGROUND
On July 24, 2026, staff was notified of fleas in the playground. Staff inspected the area and found significant flea activity near the playground deck and beneath the Temporary Fire Station. An opening beside the deck appears to have allowed wildlife to enter the deck area and then access the crawl space beneath the building through a foundation vent. Staff has been working with Marin County Department of Agriculture and licensed pest control companies to determine the best path forward for eliminating the fleas while not violating the Town’s Ordinance.
Actions taken thus far:
1) Excluded wildlife from infested area under decks and buildings 2) Applied boric acid beneath the Temporary Fire Station. Boric acid products are exempted under the ordinance and may help control flea larvae.
3) Steamed deck area and sand where infestation is highest.
DISCUSSION
The crawl space beneath the Temporary Fire Station is connected to the playground flea infestation area.
Because the planned steam treatment will not treat the crawl space, the flea population beneath the building must also be addressed. After host animals are removed from the area, immature fleas already present may continue developing, and newly emerged adults may seek people or other animals for food.
If fleas spread into the Temporary Fire Station, fire personnel may need to relocate to Station 20 on
Butterfield until the infestation is controlled. This would increase emergency-response times for most of Fairfax and could put people at risk.
Fleas are biting insects of public-health significance that can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions and may transmit flea-borne diseases. The significant infestation adjacent to and beneath an occupied public facility therefore presents a potential health hazard requiring prompt control.
The ordinance requires the Council to find that an emergency threatens the community’s health, safety, and welfare; no reasonable alternative is available; and continued prohibition of pesticide use could result in a significant adverse impact on the Town. Staff believes these findings can be made because the infestation threatens continued operation of the Temporary Fire Station, ordinance-compliant measures may not adequately control fleas beneath the building, and relocating fire personnel would increase emergency-response times.
There are three common insecticide formulations: sprays, granules, and dusts or powders. These formulations may contain the same or similar active ingredients, but their permitted uses and application locations vary according to the product label. The Town’s ordinance provides exceptions for granular pesticides and boric acid products. It does not provide a general exception for other pesticide dusts or powders. This makes treating fleas under a building particularly challenging. Treating underneath buildings is different from treating outdoor areas. Granules may initially appear to be a logical choice; however, a product cannot be applied beneath the building unless its label allows use in a crawl space or similar location. Products that require watering may also be inappropriate because introducing moisture into a crawl space can contribute to mold, rot, and other moisture-related problems.
Additionally, federal law prohibits using a registered pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.
Recommended Solution:
Staff request that the Council approve an exception to the Town’s pesticide ordinance, allowing a licensed pest-control company to apply a California-registered flea-control product beneath the Temporary Fire Station. The crawl space has a continuous concrete perimeter foundation and is protected from direct rainfall and runoff. Following completion of the wildlife-exclusion work, the treatment area is no longer accessible to the public, children, or animals. The selected pesticide will be registered by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation for the proposed site and application method and applied by a licensed pest-control operator. Additionally, the Marin County Department of Agriculture has offered to inspect the application to verify compliance with applicable pesticide requirements.
Other options considered but not recommended due to the operational risk to the Temporary Fire Station include:
1. Continue current measures and monitor - Monitor flea activity to determine whether wildlife exclusion, boric acid, and steam treatment are sufficient. Any remaining fleas and newly emerged fleas could potentially move into the Temporary Fire Station and back into the playground.
2. Apply diatomaceous earth - Request a council exception to apply food grade flea-labeled diatomaceous-earth in the crawl space. Diatomaceous earth works by physically damaging and drying insects that contact the dust, but does not reliably kill fleas in all stages of their life cycles and becomes less effective when damp or caked. Any remaining fleas and newly emerged fleas could potentially move into the Temporary Fire Station and back into the playground.
FISCAL IMPACT
The recommended treatment is expected to cost several hundred dollars. Staff is obtaining final estimates and aim to have those provided by the August 5 meeting.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution
Town of Fairfax
Resolution No. 2026-
RESOLUTION 2026-
A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF FAIRFAX FOR AUTHORIZING AN EXCEPTION TO THE TOWN’S PESTICIDE ORDINANCE FOR TARGETED FLEA
TREATMENT BEANEATH THE TEMPORARY FIRE STATION
WHEREAS, a flea infestation has been identified beneath the Temporary Fire Station and in the adjacent playground; and
WHEREAS, fleas present a potential public-health concern requiring prompt control; and WHEREAS, the infestation threatens continued operation of the Temporary Fire Station, and relocation of fire personnel could increase emergency-response times; and WHEREAS, the Town Council finds that an emergency threatens the health, safety, and welfare of the community, no reasonable alternative is available, and continued prohibition of pesticide use could result in a significant adverse impact on the Town; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the Town Council authorizes an exception to Chapter 8.52 of the Fairfax Town Code to allow a licensed pest-control operator to apply a California-registered flea-control product beneath the Temporary Fire Station in accordance with all applicable laws and product-label requirements.
The foregoing Resolution was duly passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Town Council of the Town of Fairfax held in said Town on the 5th day of August 2026, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
__________________________
STEPHANIE HELLMAN
MAYOR
ATTEST
___________________________
CHRISTINE FOSTER
DEPUTY TOWN CLERK