Pest control in Philadelphia: rats, bed bug law and who pays to exterminate
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What is different about pest control in Philadelphia?
The city writes down who has to pay. Philadelphia's property maintenance code says every structure must be kept free of insect and rodent infestation, exterminated by approved processes not injurious to health. It then assigns the duty, and a separate chapter of the code sets detailed rules for bed bugs in rentals. The state license still applies: the city's own definition of a pest management professional is a person or business licensed, registered or certified by Pennsylvania.
The housing makes those rules matter. The Census Bureau estimates that 48.2 percent of the city's 679,428 occupied homes are rented, against 30.7 percent statewide, and that 35.5 percent of its 748,270 housing units are in buildings with more than one unit.
Who is responsible for extermination?
Under Section PM-309 of the property maintenance code:
- Before renting: the owner must exterminate before renting or leasing a structure.
- A one-family house: the occupant is responsible for extermination on the premises.
- A building of two or more units: the owner is responsible for shared areas and the exterior. If an occupant's failure caused the infestation in their own unit, the occupant and owner are both responsible.
- Defects in the building: where an infestation is caused by defects in the structure, the owner is responsible.
Bed bugs are handled separately. The bed bug section, PM-310, took effect on January 1, 2021, and the code says it overrides the occupant rule.
What does the bed bug law require of landlords?
Chapter 9-4800 of the Philadelphia Code sets a landlord's duties at three points.
Before a lease. A landlord must give the tenant the city's bed bug information notice, keep and follow a bed bug control plan, and disclose the unit's bed bug history for the previous 120 days in writing.
After a complaint. The landlord must acknowledge it within five business days and bring in a pest management professional within ten business days. Treatment continues until the professional finds no evidence of bed bugs. In a building of four or more units, the units beside, above and below must be inspected too. Tenants get at least 24 hours' notice before entry and written results within five business days. Monitoring follows for 12 months, and the landlord keeps records, including the chemicals applied, for two years.
Who pays. If the tenant reports in writing within 365 days of the lease start, the landlord pays. After that, the landlord still arranges treatment but the tenant shares reasonable costs, except in Philadelphia Housing Authority or subsidized housing.
Tenants must report within five business days, allow access, and do the preparation the professional asks for.
What if a landlord does not respond?
A tenant can file a complaint with the Department of Licenses and Inspections' Quality of Life Division. The city's bed bug complaint page says written notice to the landlord first gets the fastest results, and suggests attaching proof of the notice and of the tenancy. The code adds that a landlord in violation cannot file to evict during the violation, and a court can award punitive damages of up to $2,000 per violation. Questions go to 311, or (215) 686-8686 from outside the city.
Condominium and cooperative associations must keep their own bed bug control plans, and an owner must report a suspected infestation to the association in writing within three days.
Where do you report rats?
To the Health Department's Vector Control: (215) 685-9000 or health.vector@phila.gov, with the street address where the rats were seen. Inspectors investigate, may treat the same day if it is needed and accessible, and may advise on keeping rats out. They cannot collect dead rats.
Two limits are worth knowing. The Health Department does not provide a service for mice inside homes, and rats at a food business go to the Office of Food Protection, (215) 685-7495. For mice, the work is yours or a private company's; the CDC's seal-up guidance notes that a mouse can pass through a hole the width of a pencil. Nuisance wildlife such as squirrels and pigeons is handled by ACCT Philly.
What about vacant lots?
The code requires the owner of a vacant lot to have a licensed pest control company inspect it and treat for rats each year, and to file certification within seven days. Lots kept as gardens are exempt. The Census Bureau counts 68,842 vacant housing units in the city.
Why does the age of the housing matter?
An estimated 39.9 percent of the city's housing units were first built in 1939 or earlier, against 25.0 percent for the state, and 64.1 percent are single-family houses, a figure the Census Bureau says combines detached houses with attached ones such as rowhouses. The CDC's list of rodent entry points includes the gap between the foundation and the ground and holes around utility lines. Where an infestation comes from a defect in the structure, the city code puts the extermination on the owner.
How do you check a company here?
The same way as anywhere in the state: the Department of Agriculture's business license lookup, the license number on the truck and the technician's card. The state rules are in Pennsylvania's rules for exterminators, and companies serving the city are on the Philadelphia pest control page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Section PM-310 Bed Bug Elimination (Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code), City of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Code)
- Bed Bugs and Property Rental (Philadelphia Code Chapter 9-4800), City of Philadelphia (Philadelphia Code)
- Report a bed bug law violation, City of Philadelphia
- Report rats, City of Philadelphia
- Pesticide Application Businesses, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
- How to Seal Up to Prevent Rodents, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention