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MD Rodent Control

Rodent Control in Bethesda, MD

About 34.6% of Bethesda's housing units are in buildings of 50 or more units, against 17.2% across Montgomery County, and about 52.9% are detached houses. The places to check differ between the two, and MC311 splits extermination of rats and mice between owners and tenants, citing Section 26-9(a)(9). Here is how removal and sealing work in both, and which county office handles what.

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Statewide rules and background: Maryland rodent guide

County rules for a place with no city hall

Bethesda is a Census-designated place in Montgomery County, not a city, so Montgomery County rules cover rats and mice here. The county's Vector Control page puts controlling rats on property owners and quotes County Code Chapter 39, which bans letting property become infested with rats. In a rental, MC311 says the owner exterminates in multi-family units and the tenant in single-family rentals, citing Section 26-9(a)(9). Whoever pays, the job pairs rat control or mouse control for the animals inside with rodent exclusion at the openings they used.

Towers, older houses and who must act

Very large buildings, older houses, few townhouses

Bethesda's housing sits at both ends. About 34.6% of units are in buildings of 50 or more units, against 17.2% in Montgomery County, and about 52.9% are detached houses, against 46.6% county-wide.

  • Only about 3.9% of units are single-family attached homes, the Census group that holds townhouses, against 17.8% in Montgomery County and 29.5% in Gaithersburg. Most homes are detached houses or units in big buildings.
  • About 36.6% of units were built before 1960, against 20.2% in Montgomery County, and only about 12.3% date from 1980 to 1999, against 29.7% county-wide.
  • About 26.3% of units were built in 2000 or later, against 20.9% in Montgomery County, so newer buildings stand beside much older houses.
  • The median Bethesda home was built in 1970, against 1980 for Montgomery County and 1989 for Gaithersburg.

These are area estimates, not a verdict on any one home. They matter because the fix, and the person who pays for it, differ between a detached house and a unit in a large building.

Year built, share of housing units

  • 36.6%

    Built before 1960

    ±2.1 points

  • 24.9%

    Built 1960 to 1979

    ±1.7 points

  • 12.3%

    Built 1980 to 1999

    ±1.2 points

  • 26.3%

    Built 2000 or later

    ±2.1 points

Building type, share of housing units

  • 52.9%

    Single-family detached

    ±1.6 points

  • 41.6%

    Buildings of 5+ units

    ±1.8 points

Who must deal with rats and mice

Montgomery County splits the duty by type of home. The county's Vector Control page, which quotes Chapter 39, and its MC311 answers set out the cases below.

Situation: Rats on privately owned property, or a condition that could lead to ratsWho must act: The property owner, per the Vector Control page. If an inspection finds rats, the owner or tenant gets written notice and a time frameCode section: Chapter 39
Situation: Mice, rats, roaches or bedbugs in a unit of a multi-family rentalWho must act: The property owner exterminatesCode section: 26-9(a)(9)
Situation: Rodents in a single-family rental houseWho must act: The tenant exterminatesCode section: 26-9(a)(9)
Situation: Rodent or insect infestation in 20 percent or more of a multifamily property's rental unitsWho must act: The owner, and DHCA can designate the property Troubled, inspect every unit each year and require a corrective action planCode section: 29-22

Whoever pays, DHCA's handbook, under Section 26-9, says pest infestations are a housing code violation for all types of dwellings, and that owners and tenants are both responsible for keeping a home clean enough to avoid one.

Rodent bait is not every owner's call

Montgomery County's Vector Control page calls rodent bait a job for professionals, and what you may do depends on who you are.

  • Owner with no tenants: If you live in your own home without tenants, the county's Vector Control page says the law allows you to place rodent bait yourself.
  • Commercial and multi-unit owners: Commercial and multi-unit property owners must hire a pest control company. The Vector Control page says it is against the law for them to place their own bait.
  • Renters in a large building: Tell management in writing when you see droppings. MC311 says the owner is responsible for extermination in a multi-family rental unit, citing 26-9(a)(9), and the Vector Control page says a multi-unit owner must hire a pest control company to bait.
  • The county does not bait: The Vector Control page, which quotes Chapter 39, says Licensure and Regulatory Services neither baits for property owners nor supplies them with bait.

Where to look in a house and in a tower

The county's April 2026 Rat Control Program brochure lists the ways in, from dryer vents and defective crawl-space grills to openings around pipes or wires and sewer lines. Which ones matter depends on whether you live in a detached house or a large building.

  1. Pipes and wires through walls

    In an apartment, check where kitchen and bathroom pipes pass through walls and cabinets. The county's Vector Control page advises sealing pipes with escutcheon plates, also called pipe collars, and building maintenance can fit them.

  2. Lower-floor vents and drains

    The Vector Control page asks for screens on vents, especially on lower floors, and heavy-duty metal screening over floor drains. In a large building, ask whether garage and service levels have been checked.

  3. Dryer vents and crawl-space grills

    On a detached house, check the dryer vent flap and any grill into a crawl space. Both are on the county's April 2026 brochure list of entry points.

  4. Where foundation meets floor

    On an older house, look at the space between foundation and floor, another point on the April 2026 brochure. The Vector Control page also asks for mulch and shrubs kept back from the foundation, which makes gaps and burrows easier to see.

  5. Doors to the outside

    The Vector Control page lists metal door sweeps, and sheet metal kick plates on doors where rats have been gnawing, among its fixes.

Rodent exclusion · Guide to rodent entry points in a house

Which rodent you are dealing with

Montgomery County's Rat Control Program brochure compares the Norway rat and the house mouse side by side.

  • Norway Rat

    Montgomery County's Vector Control page says rats are often found in burrows under bushes and plants, and that they wear runways along walls and in grass. With about 52.9% of Bethesda's homes detached houses, walk the foundation and shrub beds with a flashlight after dark, as the county suggests, then look for burrows once it is light, and pull out ivy around any you find.

  • House Mouse

    About 34.6% of Bethesda's homes are in buildings of 50 or more units, where mice can use openings that many units share. MC311 puts extermination in a multi-family rental unit on the owner, citing 26-9(a)(9), so report droppings to management and ask whether neighboring units are in the plan.

Picking the service for your home

  • Mouse Extermination

    About 34.6% of Bethesda's homes are in buildings of 50 or more units. For a rental unit there, MC311 says the owner is responsible for extermination, citing 26-9(a)(9), and the county's Vector Control page says multi-unit owners must hire a pest control company to bait.

  • Rat Extermination

    About 52.9% of Bethesda's homes are detached houses, and Montgomery County's Vector Control page, quoting Chapter 39, makes rat control the property owner's responsibility. It points to burrows under bushes and plants, so check shrub beds and ivy first.

Related services

Trash cans, curbs and Urban District sidewalks

  • Under Section 48-24, as DHCA's handbook puts it, trash goes in strong plastic or metal containers with tight-fitting lids, and a multifamily owner must give tenants enough trash and recycling containers.
  • The county's Vector Control page asks residents to take cans and bags to the curb as close to pickup time as possible, because leaving them out overnight invites rats.
  • The county's April 2026 brochure says to raise garbage cans and wood piles at least 18 inches off the ground, and to keep garbage in cans rather than plastic bags.
  • Within the Bethesda Urban District, one of Montgomery County's Urban Districts, properties developed under the optional method pay a fee for the district to maintain amenities they installed in the right-of-way, including trash and recycling receptacles and litter collection.

What Affects Rodent Control Cost in Bethesda?

  • One unit or the building

    In a large building, treating a single unit may not reach where mice are coming from. Ask whether the plan covers neighboring units and shared areas, and who is paying for it.

  • Ivy and plantings on older houses

    Dense ivy or shrubs against an older foundation take longer to inspect and clear before gaps can be sealed, so expect that time in the quote.

  • Who hires the company

    If you rent in a multi-family building, the owner's contractor may already be on call, so check with management before you book and pay for a visit yourself.

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 Bethesda Rodent Control

  • No. Montgomery County's Vector Control page says commercial and multi-unit property owners must hire a pest control company, and that it is against the law for them to place their own bait. Someone living in their own home without tenants may place bait, though the county still calls it a job for professionals.

  • It depends where the rodents are. For mice or rats inside a rental unit, file a housing complaint, which DHCA's Housing Code Enforcement unit investigates; the county's answer points to Section 26-9(a)(9) on who exterminates. For rats on private non-rental property, in a neighborhood or at a public building, the county routes the complaint to Licensure and Regulatory Services in Health and Human Services, which also takes complaints in person at 2425 Reedie Drive in Wheaton. If the rats seem to come from a neighbor, have that address ready.

  • Usually, yes. The county's published answer says the tenant is responsible for extermination in a single-family rental, citing Section 26-9(a)(9), while the owner handles it in multi-family rental units. Read your lease as well, and tell the owner in writing about any gaps or damage that let mice in, since repairs are a separate question to settle with them.

  • It can. Montgomery County's rat page says rats are often found in burrows under bushes and plants, and advises pulling out ivy around burrows, trimming under shrubs and keeping the ground bare next to buildings. It also names mulberries, black cherries and crabapples among the fruits that draw rats, so pick up fallen fruit.

  • Droppings and urine draw other rats back, so a thorough clean matters. Wear gloves, sweep up droppings, wipe off dark greasy track marks along walls, and wash the area with a mild bleach solution. Have the entry found and sealed as well, or rats can keep using the same path back in.

  • In a big building, mice can move through openings that many units share, such as pipe and wiring runs. Clearing one unit helps for a while, but mice from next door can return the same way. Ask management whether neighboring units and shared areas are in the treatment plan, and ask for the gaps under your sink and behind appliances to be sealed.

Nearby City Guides

Free Bethesda Rodent Inspection

Say whether you own or rent, and whether the home is a detached house or a unit in a larger building, so the right person books and pays for the work.

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. B25024: Units in Structure, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Bethesda CDP). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  2. B25024: Units in Structure, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Montgomery County). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  3. Bedbugs, Roaches, Mice, Rat Infestation/Extermination in Residential Rental Units. Montgomery County MC311 (Department of Housing and Community Affairs topic). Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  4. 2020 Census Place Codes: Maryland (st24_md_place2020.txt). U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  5. Vector Control. Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Licensure and Regulatory Services, Environmental Health Unit. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  6. B25034: Year Structure Built, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Bethesda CDP). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  7. B25024: Units in Structure, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Gaithersburg city, Maryland). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  8. B25034: Year Structure Built, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Montgomery County). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  9. B25035: Median Year Structure Built, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Bethesda CDP). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  10. B25035: Median Year Structure Built, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Montgomery County). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  11. B25035: Median Year Structure Built, 2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables (Gaithersburg city, Maryland). U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  12. DHCA Troubled Property Information. Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  13. Housing and Building Code Enforcement Handbook. Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  14. Rat Control Program (brochure, dated 4/1/2026). Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Licensure and Regulatory Services Vector Control Program. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  15. Urban District Fee. Montgomery County Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  16. Mice Rats or Rodent Complaints - Community Location OR Public Building. Montgomery County MC311 (Department of Health and Human Services topic). Retrieved 2026-09-28.

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