Home › Erie County Free Rodent Control
Search for free rodent control in Buffalo and you land on Erie County, because the county genuinely runs one. The Erie County Department of Health's Rodent Control Program baits rats at qualifying homes at no charge and investigates rodent complaints across the county. This page explains exactly how far that goes, in the county's own terms, and where private service takes over.
To request baiting, call the Environmental Health Division at (716) 961-6800 during business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Staff take the request and mail a permission form with a return envelope. Complaints about a nearby property can be filed on the county's online service request form.
None of that is a criticism. The program is aimed at neighborhood-level rat pressure, the street and sewer side of the problem, and at that scale it is a real public service. The Cheektowaga experience shows its boundary clearly: when the town moved from paying for its own pest control to relying on county services, residents felt the difference, because a county baiting program and a property-level service are genuinely different tools.
If rats are in your yard or your street's yards, you own or occupy a house of four units or fewer, and nothing is inside your home yet, start with the county. It is free and it is the right tool for outdoor baiting. If any of these are true, you need private service: the problem is inside the house or attic, your building has more than four units, the property is a business, you need entry points sealed, a dead animal found, or an attic cleaned. That split is most of Buffalo, honestly, which is why the two services coexist. Many of our customers use both, the county for the street, us for the structure, and we are glad to tell you on the phone which parts of your problem belong to which. Our rat control page and cost page cover the private side.
The baiting service itself is provided free of charge to qualifying residents. What it costs you is time: business-hours phone calls, a permission form by mail, and county scheduling. For indoor and structural work it was never designed to apply, free or not.
Yes. The county investigates complaints about rodent activity and the conditions that feed it, like unsecured garbage and debris, at nearby properties. Complaints can be filed online through Erie County's service request form or by calling (716) 961-6800.
Residents who own or occupy the home can request it, and the permission form is signed by the owner or occupant. If you rent, loop your landlord in early anyway. Structural fixes are the owner's responsibility, and the county complaint route exists for properties whose conditions are feeding a street's problem.
Call now and tell us what you are seeing. We will walk you through the next step and get an inspection set up.
Sounds in the walls, droppings in the wrong place, a smell that will not air out. The inspection names the animal and the entry points before you spend anything on treatment.
Call (716) 320-8028 Request a Callback
Open 7 days, 5 AM to 11 PM · Buffalo & Erie County