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FL Rodent Control

Rodent Control in St. Petersburg, FL

The City of St. Petersburg's Good Neighbor Guide names two openings as the most common ways rats get into a home: where the A/C lines enter and exit, and where a flat roof meets a pitched one. The guide wants both sealed with hardware cloth, since spray foam is easily chewed through; the city's Rodent Control Program works outdoors, so for removal of rats or mice already inside a home, the city says to contact a private exterminator.

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Statewide rules and background: Florida rodent guide

Outside help from the city, inside help from a pro

Inside St. Petersburg, an incorporated city in Pinellas County, the city code has its own rodent rules: Section 8-204 has the owners and occupants of all structures and lands keep the premises rat-free. For rodents outdoors, the Sanitation Department's free Rodent Control Program can inspect and, if needed, set tamper-resistant bait stations outside. For rodents inside a residence, the city says to contact a private exterminator. With about 37.0% of the city's homes built before 1960, ask anyone doing rat control or mouse control to check the roof and the A/C line openings the Good Neighbor Guide names.

Openings the city names, and what its code expects

Census estimates put 22.6% of St. Petersburg's housing units as built in the 1950s alone. Section 8-162(d) of the city code applies its maintenance standards to buildings regardless of when they were built, and Section 8-169(b)(1) wants foundation walls, exterior walls and the exterior roof kept rodentproof.

  1. Where the A/C lines go in

    The city's Good Neighbor Guide names the spot where A/C lines enter and exit the home as one of the two most common rat entry points. It says to close the gap with hardware cloth, because spray foam is easily chewed through. Check the wall opening and the sleeve around the line set.

  2. Where a flat roof meets a pitched roof

    The Good Neighbor Guide names the joint where a flat roof intersects a pitched roof as the other common entry point. Look along that seam for gaps, chewed edges and droppings. Section 8-169(b)(1) wants the exterior roof and all its parts rodentproof.

  3. Shrubs and limbs against the house

    The Good Neighbor Guide says trees and landscaping kept close to a home can become highways and harborage for rats. Cut back limbs and shrubs that touch the walls, the roof or the A/C lines, and pick up fallen fruit.

  4. Door bottoms and window frames

    Section 8-169(b)(2) expects each window and exterior door to be rodentproof. On an older frame, look for daylight at the sill and under worn door bottoms. The Good Neighbor Guide says to seal these holes only after the rodents inside are gone.

Rodent exclusion · Guide to rodent entry points in a house

Duties for owners, tenants and neighbors

Owner, tenant or both: who exterminates

The city's Good Neighbor Guide says occupants of single-family and two-family homes are responsible for pest control, and owners or managers are responsible in triplexes and larger buildings. The code sections and state law below are worded differently; this page does not say which one controls a given case.

Situation: Any structure or land in the cityWho must act: Owners and occupants keep the premises rat-freeCode section: 8-204
Situation: Rodents in a building or on its premisesWho must act: The occupant exterminates, unless the next row appliesCode section: 8-169(d)(6)
Situation: Rodents within a rental building, including the shared or outdoor areas of any building with two or more unitsWho must act: The owner exterminatesCode section: 8-169(d)(6)
Situation: Shared or outdoor areas where a structure holds two or more rental unitsWho must act: The owner keeps them clean and sanitaryCode section: 8-196
Situation: Rentals other than single-family homes and duplexesWho must act: Landlord duty: reasonable provision for rat and mouse extermination, unless otherwise agreed in writingCode section: F.S. 83.51(2)(a)1
Situation: The tenant has to leave for the exterminationWho must act: Written notice of 7 days from the landlord, and a rent abatement; the tenant need not stay out more than 4 daysCode section: F.S. 83.51(2)(a)1

Section 83.51(4) sets aside conditions that the tenant, the tenant's family or a guest on the premises with consent created by a negligent or wrongful act or omission: under that section, the landlord is not responsible for those. This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

Stacked piles, trash and the curb strip

Several sections target what feeds or shelters rats outdoors. Section 9-52(b) lists Harborage of Rats under Section 8-205 as a Class II violation, and the fine rises for a second and a third offense.

  • Lumber and boxes on racks: Under Section 8-205(b), lumber, boxes, bricks and similar materials left on any property sit on open racks at least 18 inches off the ground, evenly stacked. Businesses selling materials outdoors are exempt while the storage creates no harborage.
  • No trash where rats can feed: Section 8-205(a) bars placing, dumping or letting garbage, rubbish or trash pile up in a building or on vacant land where it may give rats food or harborage.
  • Arrange disposal promptly: Section 27-466(a) bars letting garbage, rubbish or garden trash sit on the premises for longer than four days without arranging its disposal, and requires enough containers for any four-day accumulation.
  • The strip out to the curb: Under Section 8-207, the owner and occupant of property on a street or alley keep the strip between the property line and the curb, gutter included, clean and free of trash.

To report harborage or junk on another property, use SeeClickFix St. Pete or call Codes Compliance Assistance at 727-893-7373. Since July 1, 2021, Florida law requires the person reporting to give a full name and home address before an investigation.

Alley carts and the city's outdoor rodent program

Carts on an alley block

The city's residential trash service reaches more than 76,000 household accounts, collecting from the provided alley or curbside containers. Where the cart sits in an alley, these code rules keep it covered and in its set place.

  • Leave the cart where it was set: Under Section 27-539(b)(1), a container on alley service goes no more than three feet from the alley right-of-way. Its spot is set by the POD, the official the Mayor designates, and it may not be moved without the POD's permission.
  • Keep the lid shut: Section 27-538 keeps containers tightly covered except while trash goes in or comes out, and bars filling one so full that the lid will not close tight.
  • Get a broken lid fixed: For a broken or missing lid or wheel, the city asks residents to call Sanitation at 727-893-7398 for container repair.
  • Shared bins on the block: Section 27-465(b) lets a home on alley collection that shares containers put its trash in another shared container in the same City block, if that home has paid the collection fee on it.

What the Rodent Control Program does

The city's Rodent Control Technicians inspect, advise on prevention and, if needed, place tamper-resistant bait stations outdoors, free of charge. To schedule a visit, call the Sanitation Department at 727-893-7398. The program covers the outside of properties and neighborhoods; for rodents inside a residence, the city says to contact a private exterminator.

The city's Rodent Treatment Permission/Release Form is signed by the property owner or an authorized agent. It grants permission to place rat poison on the outside premises and waives compensation for damages from contact with the poison. A signer who does not live at the property must tell the person who does. If you also hire a pro, tell them the city's stations are there.

Older and more detached than the county around it

Census estimates put 37.0% of St. Petersburg's housing units as built before 1960, against 20.1% across Pinellas County and 25.5% in Tampa. The median year built is 1969, against 1977 across Pinellas County. About 55.3% of the city's homes stand alone as single-family detached houses, compared with 48.0% for Pinellas County, and 2.2% are mobile homes, against 9.0% countywide.

About 37.2% of occupied homes here are rented, compared with 30.5% in Pinellas County as a whole. In a rented house or duplex, the Good Neighbor Guide and Section 8-169(d)(6) are worded differently, so read the table above with your lease before anyone books a visit.

Year built, share of housing units

  • 37.0%

    Built before 1960

    ±1.3 points

  • 33.2%

    Built 1960 to 1979

    ±1.2 points

  • 15.6%

    Built 1980 to 1999

    ±1.0 points

  • 14.3%

    Built 2000 or later

    ±0.8 points

Building type, share of housing units

  • 55.3%

    Single-family detached

    ±0.8 points

  • 32.0%

    Buildings of 5+ units

    ±1.2 points

Sealing and attic work lead on older houses

  • Rodent Exclusion

    The city's Good Neighbor Guide says hardware cloth, not spray foam, should close the A/C line and roof-joint gaps it names, and Section 8-169(b)(1) wants roofs and walls rodentproof. Get each opening and its sealing material listed in writing.

  • Attic Rodent Removal

    The roof joint the Good Neighbor Guide names sits at the top of the house, so ask for the roof space above it to be checked for droppings, nests and chewed wiring before it is sealed. About 37.0% of the city's housing units were built before 1960.

Related services

  • Rat Extermination

    For rats along the roofline, at the A/C lines or under a stacked woodpile.

  • Mouse Extermination

    When a pantry, the garage or the space under the sink shows house mouse droppings.

  • Rodent Removal

    When rodents already live inside and need to be trapped out.

  • Commercial Rodent Control

    For businesses with a commercial dumpster: Section 27-539(a) bars storing other objects inside the container enclosure, such as used cooking oil containers, discarded furniture or waste not inside the containers.

What Professional Rodent Control Covers

Your call reaches a trusted local pro. Ask how they handle each step.

  1. 1. Inspection

    A trusted local pro checks inside and out. Ask about a free inspection.

  2. 2. Identification

    Droppings, tracks and gnaw marks show whether rats or mice are inside.

  3. 3. Trapping and removal

    Trapping removes the rodents already in the building.

  4. 4. Entry points

    The gaps and openings rodents use are found and marked.

  5. 5. Exclusion

    Sealing those openings keeps new rodents from following.

  6. 6. Cleanup

    Ask what cleanup of droppings and nesting material the pro recommends.

  7. 7. Monitoring

    Follow-up checks confirm the activity has stopped.

How a call works

What Affects Rodent Control Cost in St. Petersburg?

  • Roof seams and roofer work

    Closing the joint between a flat and a pitched roof can mean flashing or roofing work, not only mesh. Ask whether the rodent pro does that part or whether a roofer is needed.

  • Mesh or foam at each gap

    The Good Neighbor Guide warns that spray foam is easily chewed through. Ask which material each gap gets, and compare quotes on that basis rather than on the total alone.

  • Outdoor stations from the city

    The Rodent Control Program's outdoor bait stations are free of charge. Ask a private pro whether their quote includes exterior stations or leaves the outside to the city's technicians.

  • Who books and pays

    In a rental, the table above may put extermination on the owner. Settle in writing who books the visit and who pays before anyone starts.

The provider sets the price after an inspection.

  • Building size, home or commercial
  • Rats or mice, and how widespread
  • Number of entry points and how hard to reach
  • Attic, crawl space or wall access
  • Trapping visits and dead rodent removal
  • Exclusion materials and amount of sealing
  • Droppings, nesting and insulation cleanup

How each part of a job is priced

Common Questions About St. Petersburg Rodent Control

  • Yes, for rodents outside. The Sanitation Department's Rodent Control Program inspects, advises and, if needed, places tamper-resistant bait stations outdoors free of charge; call 727-893-7398. The city's Rodent Treatment Permission/Release Form, signed by the owner or an authorized agent, grants permission to place the poison outside. For rodents inside the home, the city says to contact a private exterminator.

  • Report it to Codes Compliance Assistance through SeeClickFix St. Pete or at 727-893-7373. Section 8-205 bars letting trash or stacked materials give rats food or harborage. Give the address and a short description, plus your own name and home address, which the city needs before it investigates. The Rodent Control Program can also help with rodents outside of properties and in neighborhoods.

  • The city's Good Neighbor Guide advises against relying on it: spray foam is easily chewed through and gives little protection. It points to hardware cloth for the A/C line openings and for the joint where a flat roof meets a pitched roof. It also says to seal only after the rodents inside are gone, so none are shut in.

  • Yes. Section 27-538 requires containers to stay tightly covered, and an open lid gives rats an easy meal. Call the Sanitation Department at 727-893-7398 to repair a broken or missing lid. Until it is fixed, bag food waste tightly and do not overfill the cart.

  • Possibly. Under Section 8-169(d)(6), rodents within a rental building are the owner's to exterminate, while the city's Good Neighbor Guide says occupants of single-family homes and duplexes handle pest control. Florida Statutes Section 83.51 adds a specific rat and mouse duty for units other than a single-family home or duplex, unless the parties agreed otherwise in writing. Tell the landlord in writing and keep a copy.

  • The Good Neighbor Guide says rodenticide should be considered only after all other pest control methods have been exhausted, and that some rodenticides applied incorrectly can have negative results for children, pets and wildlife. Start with removing food and shelter, sealing and trapping. If bait is used, follow the label exactly and keep it in locked stations that pets cannot reach.

  • Ask for the whole outside shell, not just the kitchen: the roofline and any seams between roof sections, the places where A/C and plumbing lines pass through the wall, door bottoms, window frames and any foundation openings. Patched additions and worn trim can hide gaps that are hard to see from the ground, so ask for a photo of each opening found.

Nearby City Guides

Free St. Petersburg Rodent Inspection

A few facts help the first visit: rented or owned, alley cart or curb cart, and whether city bait stations are already outside.

What happens next

  1. Call and describe what you have seen and where.
  2. A trusted local pro can set up an inspection and confirm whether you have rats or mice.
  3. Ask them to explain trapping, removal and sealing, and what the work involves, before any work starts.
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Sources

  1. Rodent & Insect Control (Good Neighbor Guides). City of St. Petersburg. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  2. Residential Trash & Recycling (Good Neighbor Guides). City of St. Petersburg. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  3. 2020 Census Place Codes: Florida (st12_fl_place2020.txt). U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  4. Sec. 8-204. Prevention of rodent infestation. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  5. B25034: Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (St. Petersburg city, Florida). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  6. B25035: Median Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (St. Petersburg city, Florida). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  7. Sec. 8-162. Scope of division. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  8. Sec. 8-169. Maintenance. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  9. Sec. 8-63. Definitions. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  10. Sec. 8-196. Cleanliness of public area of structures containing multiple units. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  11. The 2026 Florida Statutes, 83.51 Landlord's obligation to maintain premises. The Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  12. Sec. 8-205. Affording food or harborage for rats. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  13. Sec. 9-52. Schedule of violations and penalties. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  14. Sec. 27-466. Unlawful accumulations of garbage, rubbish, garden trash, or recyclable material. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  15. Sec. 8-207. Area between property lines and curb lines to remain clean. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  16. Report a Code Violation. City of St. Petersburg, Codes Compliance Assistance. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  17. Collection Schedule (Residential Trash & Recycling). City of St. Petersburg, Sanitation Department. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  18. Sec. 27-539. Location of containers. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  19. Sec. 27-538. To be kept tightly covered. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  20. Sec. 27-465. Unlawful disposal of garbage, recyclable materials, or rubbish. City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library), Supp. No. 55, Update 1, codified through Ord. No. 635-H (May 14, 2026); text read through the Municode API (client 4477, product 14674, job 499702). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  21. Rodent Treatment Permission/Release Form. City of St. Petersburg, Sanitation Department. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  22. B25024: Units in Structure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (St. Petersburg city, Florida). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  23. B25034: Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Pinellas County, Florida). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  24. B25034: Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Tampa city, Florida). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  25. B25035: Median Year Structure Built - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Pinellas County, Florida). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  26. B25024: Units in Structure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Pinellas County, Florida). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  27. B25003: Tenure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (St. Petersburg city, Florida). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  28. B25003: Tenure - 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Pinellas County, Florida). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.

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