Rat Control in Louisville, Kentucky
Norway rats in the basement, the alley, the garage or under the deck. Call, tell us what you're seeing, and we'll put you through to a licensed local company.
- Norway rats, house mice, and the mess they leave
- You talk to a person, not a menu
- Pricing comes from the company that sees the job
This phone line is for rats. In Louisville that nearly always means the Norway rat: brown, heavy, a digger and a swimmer that lives low, in basements, crawl spaces, garages, alleys and the burrows under sheds and stoops. The University of Kentucky's pest training material says roof rats aren't common in this state, so the attic-climbing rat you see in Florida videos is a rare call here.
Here's how it works. You call. A person picks up during business hours, asks where you are and what you've found, and hands the call to a licensed, independent pest company that covers your part of Jefferson County. They send someone out, look things over and give you a quote. We don't send trucks and we don't set prices.
If it turns out to be mice, same number. Mouse control has its own page, and the droppings usually settle the question in about two seconds.
What we take calls for
Rat Control
Norway rats in houses, garages, alleys and yards anywhere in Jefferson County, from the first sighting to the last sealed hole.
Rat Trapping and Removal
Setting, checking and clearing traps for rats already inside the house, the garage or the crawl space.
Rat Proofing and Exclusion
Finding the holes rats use and closing them with metal, mesh and mortar so new rats can't move in after the old ones are gone.
Attic Rats and Cleanup
Getting rats and mice out of attics and knee walls, then cleaning up droppings, nests and soiled insulation.
Crawl Space and Basement Rats
Rats living under the house, in the basement or in the crawl space, where most Louisville rat problems start.
Rats in the Yard, Shed and Alley
Burrows under sheds, decks, garage slabs and compost bins, and the alleys rats use to travel between yards.
Dead Rat and Odor Removal
Finding and removing a rat or mouse that died in a wall, ceiling, floor or crawl space, and treating the spot.
Commercial Rat Control
Ongoing rat programs for restaurants, bars, apartment buildings, warehouses and storefronts around Jefferson County.
Mouse Control
House mice and deer mice in kitchens, walls, basements and garages, mostly from fall through early spring.
Why Louisville has a rat problem
Start with age. Big parts of the city were built before 1930. Old Louisville is block after block of Victorian brick from the 1880s and 1890s. Germantown has the most shotgun houses in the city, most of them from the 1890s. The Highlands and Crescent Hill filled in during the streetcar era. Soft lime mortar, old basement windows, coal chutes and additions on mismatched footings all give rats a way in.
Then the alleys. Many older neighborhoods have alleys behind the houses with detached garages and garbage carts lined up along them. Rats travel the alleys at night and move yard to yard under fences. One open compost pile, a chicken coop or a few bags set beside the cart can keep a whole block supplied.
Then water. Beargrass Creek and its forks run through the middle of town and the Ohio River runs along the whole north side. Norway rats swim well and burrow along banks and channels. When heavy rain floods their burrows, they move, and some of them move into basements.
Out in the suburbs it's a little different. Shively, Okolona, St. Matthews and Pleasure Ridge Park are full of post-war houses on crawl spaces, with sheds and bigger yards. Rats dig under the shed or the slab, then find a rusted vent screen into the crawl space. Restaurant strips along Dixie Highway, Preston Highway and Shelbyville Road add dumpsters to the picture.
- Pre-1930 brick and stone foundations with soft mortar
- Alleys, detached garages and carts out back
- Beargrass Creek and the Ohio River for water and cover
- Crawl space ranches and sheds in the suburbs
Found burrows, droppings or a rat in the garage?
Call (502) 306-9053Rats through the year in Louisville
| When | What we hear about |
|---|---|
| September to November | Cold nights push rats and mice toward buildings. This is when basement and garage calls pick up, and when mice start showing up in kitchens. |
| December to February | Rats that got in stay in. Noise in walls and ceilings at night, droppings near the furnace and water heater, chewed boxes in storage. |
| March to May | Spring rains raise the creeks and flood burrows. Rats relocate, and new burrows show up under sheds and along fences. |
| June to August | Gardens, fruit trees, cookouts and full garbage carts. Outdoor activity peaks, and it's a good time to seal while rats are living outside. |
Why call this number
Rats are the whole focus
We don't book termite jobs or lawn spraying. The questions we ask are about rats and mice: where the droppings are, whether there are burrows, whether you back up to an alley. See rat control for the full job.
Sealing is part of the plan
Trapping clears the rats that are inside. Rat proofing closes the holes so the next ones can't follow. Ask any company you talk to how they handle both.
Old houses are normal here
Brick foundations, shotgun additions, coal chutes, open walls. The companies we connect you with see them every week. Our older homes guide shows the usual trouble spots.
No price games
We won't quote you on the phone, and we won't pretend to. The company quotes after they've seen the job. Our cost guide explains what moves the number.
Neighborhoods and nearby cities
- Old Louisville
- The Highlands
- Germantown
- Crescent Hill and Clifton
- St. Matthews
- Jeffersontown
- Middletown
- Prospect
- Shively
- Okolona
- Pleasure Ridge Park and Valley Station
Not listed? We take calls from anywhere in Jefferson County. See all service areas.
Quick answers
Is it rats or mice?
Check the droppings. Rice-sized means mice. Raisin-sized or bigger means rats. Our droppings guide has more.
Does the city do anything about rats?
Louisville Metro Codes and Regulations may place rat bait at single-family homes with rat problems. Ask through Metro 311. See our Metro 311 guide.
How much will it cost?
The company quotes the job after seeing it. Size, age of the house, how many holes and how much cleanup all matter.
Will they put poison inside my house?
They shouldn't. Indoor rat work is mostly traps. Bait, if used, belongs outside in locked stations fastened in place.