Rats Near Your Home in Prince George's County

Why does the county ask neighbors to act together?

The county's rat guidance says neighbors must work together, because rats move through shared spaces and do not respect property lines. A household that treats only its own lot often finds the problem returns from the lot next door.

Rats do not stay within a single property. They use hedges, sheds, drainage lines, trash areas and gaps under fences to move between lots. When one yard is cleaned and the next yard is left with food and shelter, the rats can simply shift their activity to the cleaned yard's neighbor. That is the practical reason the county treats the problem as a neighborhood matter.

Shared action can be simple. Neighbors can agree on common steps, such as securing trash containers, clearing brush along a shared fence and reporting activity to each other. A conversation over the fence can do more than a single lot's cleanup, and it is free.

A household that is working alone should still act. Its own steps matter even when the neighbors have not joined, and a record of what was done is useful if the problem persists and the county is contacted.

What does the county checklist ask a household to do?

The county publishes a checklist titled 5 Steps to Get Rid of a Rat Problem. The steps are the county's own, and they are best read on the county's document rather than paraphrased on this page.

The county's checklist is the first resource a resident should use. It sets out a sequence of steps to work through, and it is written for households rather than for technicians. Reading the document in full gives the exact steps, which this page does not reproduce because the wording and order belong to the county.

Working through the checklist in order is useful because it shows whether the simpler steps are enough. A household that completes them and sees the activity stop has a result. A household that completes them and still sees rats has reached the point where the county directs residents to the Health Department.

Keep a dated note of each step taken and any activity seen after it. That record is the information the Health Department will ask for if the problem goes on.

When does a rat problem go to the Health Department?

If a rat problem persists after all of the county's checklist steps, the county directs residents to the Health Department's Division of Environmental Health. The Environmental Engineering Program, which handles rat complaints, is listed at a Largo address.

The Health Department's Division of Environmental Health is the county's route after the checklist is finished. The county's guidance identifies the Environmental Engineering Program as the part of the division that handles rat complaints, and that program is listed at a Largo address in the county's materials.

A complaint is more useful with the record of the steps already taken. The dates, the locations and the steps completed show the Health Department what has been tried and where activity continues. That information helps the department decide what happens next.

A private technician can be called at any point, including before the checklist is finished. Calling a technician is not a substitute for the county route, and a homeowner who wants both can use them together. Call (855) 974-4733 to ask for an inspection.

What does a rodent visit cover?

A rodent visit inspects the property for entry points, signs of activity and the access routes rats use. The work that follows is scoped on those findings, and the written quote names each part.

The inspection starts outside. The technician walks the foundation, the eaves, the utility penetrations, the vents and the space under decks and sheds, looking for gaps and for the signs rats leave behind. Those signs include droppings, gnaw marks, grease marks along a path and sounds at night. A list of what was found is the basis for the quote.

Exclusion, meaning the sealing of entry points, is usually a large part of the work. A gap that is sealed in the right place removes an entry route that no amount of trapping will replace. The technician should say which gaps can be sealed on the visit and which need the homeowner's own work or the building owner's approval.

Removal work, where activity is inside, is quoted on the findings. Ask what the visit will do about activity already inside, how the removal will be done and whether a follow-up visit is included to confirm the result. The confirmed price is set on site, in writing, before the crew begins.

A technician will ask what has already been tried. Bring the dated note from the first week and the county checklist steps completed so far. A visit that starts from a clear record can move straight to the entry points instead of repeating the basic checks.

Why does the species matter less than the entry points?

The control steps for rats are largely the same whatever the species, because the approach depends on sealing, removing food and clearing shelter. This page does not name a rat species, because no local species record was sourced.

Rats find their way into a building through gaps, and food and shelter keep them there. Those are the factors a homeowner can change, and they apply to any rat. A species name does not change the sealing a gap needs or the way food is secured.

Food sources are often easier to change than the building. Securing trash in containers with tight lids, storing pet food indoors, cleaning up fallen fruit and keeping compost sealed all remove a reason for rats to stay. These are general steps that a household can take without waiting for the county or a technician.

Shelter is the third factor. Brush piles, stacked firewood, dense ground cover against the foundation and clutter in a shed or garage give rats a place to hide. Clearing or raising those materials away from the building reduces the number of safe spots close to the house.

What can apartment and townhome residents do?

In a shared building, rats move through walls, pipes and common spaces, so one unit's efforts are limited. Residents can report activity to the building owner or manager and ask for the common areas to be part of the plan.

A unit that is treated alone often sees rats return from the unit next door or from a shared chase. The building owner or manager is the person who controls the common areas, the trash and the shared openings, and a resident should ask that person to add those areas to the plan.

A written report of the activity is useful. The date, the location within the building and the type of sign seen should be recorded, and a copy kept. A written report is harder to dismiss than a verbal complaint, and it shows the pattern across several weeks.

A technician working in a shared building will want the owner's permission to inspect the common areas and any shared openings. Asking for that permission early saves a second visit and makes the quote easier to scope.

A townhome row is a shared structure in a different way. Rats can move under a shared porch, along a common fence or through a gap at a party wall, so the neighbors on either side should be part of the plan. Agree on a single date to check each lot, and record what each household finds. A shared record makes it easier to tell whether the activity has moved or has stopped.

What should a household do in the first week?

In the first week, walk the lot, write down what you see, remove the most obvious food and shelter, and start the county checklist in order. A short, dated record from the first week is the most useful thing to hand a technician or the Health Department later.

Begin with a walk of the lot in daylight and again after dark, using a flashlight. Look along the foundation, under decks, behind sheds, along fence lines and around the trash area. Note each sign with a rough location, such as the back corner by the compost bin or the gap under the shed door. A map drawn on paper is enough.

Deal first with the things that are easy to change. Trash should go into containers with tight lids, and the lids should close every night. Pet food and birdseed should move indoors or into sealed bins. Fallen fruit should be picked up, and compost should be turned into a closed bin. None of these steps needs a professional, and each one removes a reason for rats to stay close to the house.

Do not leave food scraps or open containers out overnight while the problem is being checked. Rats are most active after dark, and a night of easy food can keep a visit from showing the full picture. Taking away the food first also makes the signs of activity easier to read on the next walk.