44th Ward Service Organization

There is a City Service Request available on-line specifically for rodent baiting and inspection. The Department of Streets and Sanitation, Bureau of Rodent Control, responds to rodent baiting requests and will inspect your yard and/or bait your yard for rodents.

Click here to fill out this service request on-line.

Rodent Control: What You Need to Know—What You Need to Do.

How You Can Rat Proof Your Property—Step by Step

Rid outdoor areas of old lumber, brick piles, junk autos, old equipment or any other debris that potentially shelters rats.

• If you need to store any of the above materials, place them at least 18 inches above ground (or floor) level and at least one foot away from any wall or fence.

• Look for holes in pavement or walls.

• For large openings, it may be necessary to first cover the open area with the hardware cloth and then solidify the opening with fresh concrete or blacktop as needed.

• Give careful attention to the exterior doors, making sure any opening to the door and floor is too small for rats and mice to enter (less than three eighths of an inch).

• Loading docks can become harborage when the steel corner plates are loose enough for rodents to squeeze behind them; the chicken wire and/or hardware cloth method can deny them further entry.

• Close any such openings by inserting a ball of chicken wire and/or hardware cloth into the holes so tightly it cannot easily be removed; then cement over the opening with fresh concrete mix.

• Another common rat harborage area is the small easement space between two adjoining buildings that runs between the street and the alley. Often this space is too narrow for a person to walk through, making it more secure for rats to set up housekeeping. Both property owners should work together to anchor a strip of sheet metal connecting the property walls from the ground level to a height of at least seven feet. This metal can be pre-colored, particularly on the street side, to complement the appearance of the buildings.

• For larger easement openings which often house air conditioners or other exterior equipment, a tightly sealed metal locked door with a concrete threshold at each end will deny rats access to this space.