Rodent Control in Vallejo, CA

Why Vallejo has a rat problem

If you feel like there are more rats in Vallejo than there used to be, you are not imagining it. In July 2025, rats swarming around the Vallejo Ferry Terminal made Bay Area news, and the city responded with traps and extra street sweeping along the waterfront (ABC7, NBC Bay Area).

The city can clean up public spaces. It cannot seal your attic. And the conditions that feed a waterfront rat population reach well beyond Mare Island Strait:

• Water on three sides. San Pablo Bay, the Carquinez Strait and the Napa River give rats shoreline, rock and marsh to live in.
• Mild winters. Vallejo rarely freezes, so rats breed nearly all year instead of slowing down in winter.
• Older homes. Neighborhoods around downtown, the Heritage District and St. Vincent’s Hill have homes that are 80 to 150 years old, with gaps at the roofline, loose vent screens and open crawl spaces.
• Food and cover. Fruit trees, ivy on fences, dense backyard shrubs, bird feeders, pet food left outside and overfilled garbage carts.

When the first fall rains come and nights turn cold, rodents move indoors. That is when our phone gets busy, and it is the best time to act before a few rats become a nest.

Which rodents get into Vallejo homes

Knowing which rodent you have changes where we look and how we treat it.

Roof rats

Roof rats are the climbers. They run along power lines, fence tops and tree branches, then slip into attics through gaps at the eaves, roof vents and where the roof meets the wall. A roof rat can squeeze through a hole about the size of a quarter. If the noise is above you at night, it is almost always roof rats.

Norway rats

Norway rats are bigger and heavier, and they dig. Look for burrows under decks, sheds, concrete slabs, woodpiles and along the foundation, especially on lots near the shoreline and creek beds. Inside, they stay low: crawl spaces, garages, basements and under kitchen cabinets.

House mice

Mice need a gap only about the size of a dime. They nest in walls, under appliances and in stored boxes in the garage. Because they breed so fast, a couple of mice in September can be a real infestation by the holidays.

Deer mice

Homes near open space, such as Hiddenbrooke and the hills on the east side of Vallejo, sometimes see deer mice in garages, sheds and cabins. Deer mice can carry hantavirus, so their droppings need careful cleanup (see the safety note below).

Signs you have rats or mice

• Sounds at night: scratching, running or gnawing in the ceiling, walls or under the floor
• Droppings: rice-sized for mice; larger, about half an inch to three-quarters of an inch, for rats. Fresh droppings are dark and soft
• Gnaw marks on wood trim, wires, plastic bins, irrigation lines and food packaging
• Grease marks along walls, beams and pipes where rats run the same path every night
• Nests of shredded insulation, paper or fabric in the attic, garage or behind appliances
• Burrows near the foundation, under the deck or in the garden
• Half-eaten fruit under citrus, plum or fig trees
• Pets acting strange: a dog or cat staring at a wall or the ceiling

One sighting in daylight usually means there are more you have not seen.

For a full photo guide, see Signs of rats and mice.

How our rodent control works

Traps alone do not solve a rodent problem. If the entry points stay open, new rats move into the same attic. Our rodent control in Vallejo is built around exclusion, which means removing the rodents and physically blocking the way in.

1. Inspection. We check the attic, crawl space, garage and the whole outside of the house, from the foundation to the roofline. We look for droppings, runways, nests and every opening a rat or mouse could use.
2. Removal. We set traps in the attic, crawl space and other active areas and check them on a schedule. Outside, we may use locked, tamper-resistant stations where the law and the situation allow.
3. Sealing entry points. We close gaps with materials rodents cannot chew through, such as steel mesh, hardware cloth, metal flashing and sealant. Common spots in Vallejo homes include roof and gable vents, gaps at the eaves, pipe and AC line openings, crawl space vents, garage door corners and weep screeds.
4. Cleanup. We remove nests and droppings and treat the area so it does not attract new rodents. Where insulation is soaked or heavily contaminated, we can remove and replace it.
5. Follow-up. We come back to check traps, confirm there is no new activity and make sure every seal is holding.

Rat poison in California: why we use traps and sealing

California law now sharply limits anticoagulant rodent poisons. AB 1788 (2020) restricted second-generation anticoagulants, and AB 2552 (2024) extended the limits to more products. The reason is simple: poisoned rats are eaten by hawks, owls, foxes and pets, and the poison moves up the food chain. Vallejo’s marshes and shoreline are full of birds of prey.

There is also a practical reason. A poisoned rat often dies inside a wall or attic, and the smell can last for weeks. Trapping and sealing is cleaner, faster to confirm and the fix that lasts.

Rats in the attic and walls

The attic is where Vallejo rat problems usually start. Roof rats love it: it is warm, dry, quiet and close to their highways on the trees and power lines. Over time they flatten and soil the insulation, chew wiring, and leave urine and droppings above your ceiling.

If you hear them up there, do not wait. We trap the attic, seal the roofline and clean up what they left behind. More detail is on our Rats in the attic page, and for the roof rat versus Norway rat question, see Roof rats in Vallejo.

Safe cleanup of droppings

Rodent droppings and urine can carry disease. Deer mice can carry hantavirus. If you find droppings, follow CDC cleanup guidance:

• Do not sweep or vacuum droppings. That puts particles into the air.
• Open windows and air the space out for 30 minutes first.
• Wear rubber gloves. Spray droppings and nests with a bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) and let it soak for 5 minutes.
• Wipe up with paper towels, bag them, and wash your hands well.

For a large mess in an attic or crawl space, let us handle it.

How to keep rats and mice out

Once your home is sealed, these habits keep it rodent-free:

• Trim tree branches and ivy at least 3 to 4 feet back from the roof and walls.
• Pick up fallen fruit and keep it off the ground.
• Keep the lids closed on garbage and green-waste carts.
• Feed pets indoors, or pick up bowls at night.
• Store birdseed, pet food and grass seed in metal or hard plastic bins.
• Stack firewood off the ground and away from the house.
• Close up the gap under the garage door with a rodent-proof sweep.

More tips are in our guide How to get rid of rats and mice.

Renting in Vallejo? Who handles the rats

Under California Civil Code Section 1941.1, a rental home must be kept free of rodents and vermin, which in most cases makes rodent control the landlord’s job. If you rent, report the problem to your landlord in writing with photos of droppings or damage. If you are a landlord, we can handle rodent control and sealing for a single home or a whole building.

This is general information, not legal advice.

What does rodent control cost in Vallejo?

The price depends on the type of rodent, how many entry points need sealing, the size and age of the home, whether the attic needs cleanup or new insulation, and how many follow-up visits it takes. A garage with a few mice is a smaller job than an attic full of roof rats with ten open gaps along the roofline.

We inspect first and give you a clear price for removal, sealing and follow-up before any work starts. For more on what goes into the price, see Rat and mice removal cost in Vallejo and our Vallejo pest control cost guide.

Rodent control across Vallejo

We provide rat and mouse control in every Vallejo ZIP code:

• 94589: North Vallejo
• 94590: Downtown, the waterfront, the Heritage District and central Vallejo
• 94591: East and South Vallejo, including Glen Cove and Hiddenbrooke
• 94592: Mare Island

Nearby, we also serve Benicia, American Canyon and Hercules.

Related services: Rodents in the attic often show up together with other problems overhead. See Termite control in Vallejo, Wasp and yellowjacket removal and Gopher control for the yard. Back to all pest control in Vallejo.