Pittsburgh is hard on houses and easy on rodents. Old houses, old foundations, lots of ways in. Add the hills, three rivers and an alley behind half the streets in the city, and you get rats and mice in places you wouldn't expect. Scratching in the wall by the stairs. Droppings behind the furnace. A rat running the back fence at dusk. You don't have to figure it out by yourself.
Call us and tell us what you're seeing. We're a referral line: we ask a few questions, then connect you with an independent, licensed exterminator who works your part of Allegheny County. They come out, look the place over and give you a price. You decide from there.
Most calls are one of a handful of jobs. Rats in the yard, alley or basement. Mice in the kitchen and walls once October hits. Sealing up an old foundation so you're not doing this again next fall. A lot of it starts down in the basement, and if you run a restaurant or own a building, there's commercial rodent service too.
We only take rodent calls. No ants, no termites, no bees. That keeps the call short.
What we handle
| Problem | What it usually looks like |
|---|---|
| Rat Control | Norway rats in yards, alleys, basements and garages. The tech finds the burrows and the way in, then sets up a plan. |
| Mouse Control | House mice move in when Pittsburgh nights turn cold. The tech traps them and seals the small gaps they use. |
| Rodent Proofing | Sealing gaps in stone foundations, sill plates, vents and pipes so rats and mice can't get back in. |
| Basement and Crawl Space Rodents | Unfinished basements, floor drains, stone walls and crawl spaces are where most Pittsburgh rodent problems start. |
| Attic and Crawl Space Cleanup | Getting droppings, nests and soiled insulation out after the rodents are gone, done safely. |
| Commercial Rodent Control | Restaurants, bars, shops and apartment buildings on busy streets and alleys need regular rodent service. |
| Sewer and Yard Burrow Rats | Norway rats that burrow under retaining walls, sheds and porches, or travel old sewer lines into yards and basements. |
Why Pittsburgh houses get rodents
Start with age. A big chunk of the housing stock here went up between the late 1800s and the 1940s. Plenty of it sits on rubble stone or block foundations with mortar that's been through a hundred winters of freeze and thaw. The mortar crumbles. Gaps open where the wood sill sits on the stone. A mouse needs a hole about the width of a pencil. Old coal chutes, dead dryer vents and the gap around the gas line do the rest.
Then there's the basement. Lots of city houses still have a floor drain and the old Pittsburgh potty in the corner. Both tie into clay sewer laterals, and much of the city runs on combined sewers. Crack a lateral or lose a drain cover and Norway rats can come up from underneath. Honestly, a good tech checks the drains before they check anything else down there.
The hills matter too. Retaining walls, terraced yards, city steps and wooded hillsides sit behind a lot of streets. Rats dig under the walls and the back porch. On the South Side Slopes, in Polish Hill and up on Mount Washington, you can have woods right off the back deck. That's year-round cover for mice.
And the alleys. Cans sit back there between pickups, restaurants put out dumpsters and grease bins, and rats work the whole run. City rules say tight lids and no set-out before 6 p.m. the night before. Our alley trash guide has the rest. Down by the river in Millvale, add rail lines, brush and a creek that floods.
The calendar is pretty steady. Mice push indoors once October nights turn cold and stay in by the furnace through February. Rats start digging fresh burrows in spring when the ground thaws. Not sure which one you've got? Read the signs of rats and mice first, then call.
- Stone and block foundations with worn mortar
- Floor drains, basement toilets and cracked sewer laterals
- Retaining walls and hillside yards that hide burrows
- Alley trash set out too early
Straight talk
One number to call
You don't have to call five exterminators to find one who does rodent work. That's the whole point of the line.
We ask the right questions
Rats or mice, basement or attic, row house or single. A couple of minutes on the phone and the tech shows up knowing what they're walking into.
Straight about how it works
We're a referral service. The tech who comes out sets the price and the schedule. You hear it before any work starts. Our page on how the call works spells it out.
City blocks and the boroughs
From Lawrenceville row houses to Mt. Lebanon colonials, we take calls across the city and the nearby boroughs.
Pittsburgh rodent season, month by month
- March to May: the thaw
Ground softens and rats dig new burrows along fences, retaining walls and garden beds. Fresh dirt by a hole at the back of the lot is the giveaway. - June to August: alley season
Rats live off alley trash, bird seed, compost and the grill. Busy stretches like East Carson and Butler see the most of it behind the restaurants. - October and November: the mouse rush
First cold nights and mice head for basements, wall voids and attics. This is when the phone rings most. - December to February: furnace months
Mice nest near the furnace, water heater and radiator pipes. Rats hang close to sewers and warm foundations. Droppings turn up in the pantry.
You asked
Do you do the rodent work yourselves?
No. We answer the phone. An independent, licensed exterminator does the inspection, trapping and sealing, and sets the price.
I've only seen one mouse. Is it worth a call?
Usually, yes. One in the kitchen tends to mean more in the walls or basement, especially heading into winter.
Can I report alley rats to the city?
Yes. City residents can report outdoor rats through Pittsburgh 311. Outside city limits, the Allegheny County Health Department takes rodent complaints. Rats inside your house are a private job.
What parts of town do you cover?
City neighborhoods like Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Squirrel Hill and the South Side, plus boroughs like Mt. Lebanon, Dormont and Millvale. The service areas page has the list.