San Francisco · Rats & Mice
Rodent Control in San Francisco
Rats in the garage, mice behind the stove, something in the ivy along the back fence. Call one number and get connected with a licensed San Francisco pest company.
San Francisco has three rodents that get inside buildings, and the city's health department names all of them. The Norway rat, which the department also calls the brown, wharf or sewer rat, lives close to people and likes places with lots of hiding spots. The roof rat is the climber, at home on wires and up in tall buildings. The house mouse can settle into a home or office for the long haul. If you've got one of the three, this line is for you.
Here's how it works. You call, a person picks up and asks what you're seeing and what part of the city you're in. We connect you with an independent pest control company that is licensed to work here, and they come look, quote the job and do the work. We're a referral service. We don't send our own crew.
Most rodent jobs in this city come down to the building. Flats and row houses share walls, garage door seals wear out, and older foundations have more gaps than anyone wants to count. A good company will talk about sealing the building as much as trapping. If you rent, start with our page on rodents in apartment buildings, since the owner has duties here too.
Neighborhoods
- Mission DistrictVictorians, two-family flats and busy food corridors along Mission, Valencia and 24th.
- Bernal HeightsSmall, older homes on the hill, many from the years after 1906.
- Noe ValleyRow houses, Victorians and Edwardians between 21st and 30th streets.
- Pacific HeightsHistoric mansions, Victorians and Edwardians near Fillmore and the parks.
- MarinaHomes from the 1920s on former bay fill, near Chestnut Street and the water.
- SoMaWarehouses, lofts, condos, nightlife and offices south of Market Street.
- Richmond DistrictHomes and flats between Golden Gate Park, the Presidio and Ocean Beach.
- Sunset DistrictRow houses built over the sand dunes, from Golden Gate Park to Sloat.
- Nob HillApartment buildings, hotels and older homes at the top of the hill.
- Russian HillSteep streets, stairways, older homes and apartments north of Nob Hill.
- BayviewHomes, industry and warehouses along Third Street in the southeast corner.
- ExcelsiorRow houses along Mission Street, next to McLaren Park.
- Glen ParkOne- and two-family homes next to Glen Canyon Park, south of Twin Peaks.
- CastroVictorians, flats and a busy commercial strip in Eureka Valley.
What Makes San Francisco Buildings Easy for Rats
Start with age. A lot of the city went up after the 1906 earthquake and fire, when whole neighborhoods were rebuilt in a hurry. The Mission's Victorians and two-family flats, Noe Valley's row houses and the post-quake workers' homes on Bernal Hill are all well over a hundred years old now. Old wood siding, settled foundations and pipe holes from three or four rounds of plumbing give rats and mice plenty of ways in. See the Mission, Noe Valley and Bernal Heights.
Then look at how the west side was built. The Sunset and the Richmond started as sand dunes the city called the Outside Lands. Henry Doelger built large parts of the Sunset in the 1940s, blocks of similar houses on narrow lots. Row houses share side walls, so when a rat gets into one house on the block, the neighbors often hear about it too. The Sunset and the Richmond pages cover those homes.
Yards matter too. UC's pest management program says roof rats nest in dense plants like ivy, and recommends pulling ivy, star jasmine and honeysuckle off fences and walls. Plenty of San Francisco backyards have a wall of ivy, a lemon tree and a compost bin all within a few feet of each other. Our guide on ivy, fruit trees and roof rats explains what to change.
And then there's food. Restaurants, corner stores and garbage bins on every block keep rats fed. The health department also calls the Norway rat the sewer rat. Business owners in SoMa, the Mission and Bayview call about rats around dumpsters and back doors, and commercial rodent control covers that work.
- Post-1906 Victorians and flats: old foundations, pipe holes and wood siding
- Sunset and Richmond row houses: shared side walls
- Backyards with ivy, citrus and compost: roof rat cover and food
- Commercial strips: dumpsters, deliveries and shared basements
The Year in Rodents
| November to March: the rains | More than 80 percent of the city's rain falls in these months. A wet winter is a good time to find out where water and air get into the building, because rodents use the same gaps. |
|---|---|
| Spring | Check the yard after the rains. Ivy, jasmine and overgrown shrubs fill in fast. Thin them out and pull them off fences and walls before roof rats move in. |
| Summer fog | May through September is nearly dry, but the fog keeps the west side cool and gray. Garages and basements stay damp and dark, which suits Norway rats and mice fine. |
| September and October | These months bring the city's hottest days. Fruit trees are loaded, and roof rats eat citrus and avocados right off the branch. Pick fruit as it ripens and clear what drops. |
How the Line Works
Rodents are all we take
Rats, mice and roof rats. No ants, no bedbugs, no termites. The questions we ask are about rodents, and the companies on the other end do this work all the time.
Licensed for San Francisco
The city's health department recommends pest services licensed by the San Francisco County Agricultural Commissioner that follow Integrated Pest Management. That's what you should ask for, and it's who we connect you with.
A real person on the phone
No phone tree. Tell us your neighborhood, the kind of building and what you've been finding. That's the whole call on our end.
We stay out of the price
We don't quote jobs or take payment. The company quotes after they see the building. More on how this works.
Services
- Rat Control Norway rats in garages and basements, roof rats in ivy and attics.
- Roof Rat Control Climbing rats that live in ivy and fruit trees and get in up high.
- Mouse Control House mice in kitchens, flats and offices, and the small gaps they use.
- Rodent Exclusion Closing the gaps in old foundations, vents, pipes and garage doors.
- Rodent Inspection A walk through the building and yard to find the animal and the gaps.
- Attic and Crawl Space Cleanup Removing droppings, nests and soiled material once the rodents are out.
- Garage and Basement Rodents Ground-floor garages, storage and basements where Norway rats settle.
- Apartment Building Rodents Flats, small buildings and larger apartments, for owners and tenants.
- Commercial Rodent Control Restaurants, corner stores, offices, warehouses and mixed-use buildings.
Asked and Answered
Should I call 311 or a pest company?
Both have a place. 311 records a complaint and routes it to the health department, which is the right move if your landlord isn't dealing with rodents in your building. A pest company is who actually traps and seals. See landlords, tenants and rodents.
Do you send someone out?
No. Nobody from this line shows up at your door. The company we refer you to sends the tech and sets the price.
How much will it cost?
Not something we can answer. Old buildings vary too much. The company looks first and then gives you a number.
What neighborhoods do you cover?
All of San Francisco, from the Marina to the Excelsior and from Ocean Beach to Bayview. The service areas page lists the neighborhoods we write about.