Commercial Rat Control in Louisville
Businesses get rats for the same reasons houses do, only more of them: food, water, garbage, deliveries and doors that open all day. Restaurant strips like Bardstown Road and Frankfort Avenue, the bars and shops downtown, the warehouses near the airport and out in the business parks, and apartment buildings with shared dumpsters all see it.
Commercial rat work is usually a program, not a single visit. When you call, mention what kind of business it is and about how many square feet.
Where business rats come from
Dumpster pads are the start of most of it. A lid left open, a grease bin with drips down the side, cardboard stacked on the ground. Rats move from there to the back door, the dock and the gaps where utility lines enter. In older buildings with shared walls, rats travel from one storefront to the next, so one tenant fixing their space only helps so much.
- Droppings in dry storage, under the line or behind the ice machine
- Gnawed bags and boxes in the stockroom
- Rats seen at the dumpster or loading dock at dusk
- Gaps under back doors and dock doors
- Noise in a drop ceiling
How a program works
The first visit is a walkthrough with the manager or owner: outside first, then the kitchen, storage, the basement if there is one, and the ceilings. Then the company puts together a plan with locked bait or trap stations outside, traps inside where they won't touch food, and a list of fixes like door sweeps, dumpster lids and sealed pipe holes. Each visit gets logged so you have a record for a health inspector or a landlord.
Ask before you sign: how often do they come, what happens if staff see a rat between visits, what's in the log, and who does the sealing. For landlords with older rentals, the rat proofing page covers what exclusion involves.
Rentals and apartment buildings
In a duplex or an apartment building, rats rarely stay in one unit. They use shared basements, pipe chases and the trash area. The building owner usually has to handle the building as a whole. Tenants should report rats to the landlord in writing right away. Single-family homeowners can ask Metro 311 about city rat baiting, which Louisville Metro offers for single-family residences. Our Metro 311 guide has the details.
Common questions
Will we get service records?
Commercial programs normally log every visit. Ask to see a sample log before you sign.
Can they work after hours?
Many companies will come before opening or after close for restaurants and bars. Ask when you call.
Serving Old Louisville, The Highlands, Germantown, Crescent Hill and Clifton, St. Matthews, Jeffersontown, Middletown, Prospect, Shively, Okolona, Pleasure Ridge Park and Valley Station.