Pest control in Chicago: costs, city services and local pests

Quick answer: In Chicago, request rodent baiting through 311. The Department of Streets and Sanitation investigates rat sightings and puts rodenticide in burrows, and its experts will inspect the outside of a private property on the owner’s request. Inside a rental, Chicago’s bed bug ordinance makes the landlord arrange and pay for a pest management professional within 10 days. Check a company’s licence on the Illinois Department of Public Health business search.

Chicago runs one of the longest-established municipal rat programmes in the US, and it has its own bed bug law for rentals. This page explains what the city does, what landlords must do, what private treatment typically costs, and how to check a company.

We are a comparison and referral service, not a pest control company. We do not treat properties ourselves and we cannot promise a quote, a price or a response time.

Local pest issues in Chicago

Rats in alleys and yards

The City of Chicago says its Bureau of Rodent Control investigates every reported rat sighting. Crews check alley conditions, replace damaged garbage carts and place rodenticide in rat burrows to wipe out the nest. The Department of Streets and Sanitation says exposed garbage is the main reason rodents multiply, and that when carts are securely closed, rats eat the bait instead.

Containerisation is central to the programme. The city says more than 1.5 million heavy-duty 96-gallon garbage carts with tight-fitting lids are supplied free to single-family homes and to apartment buildings of four units or less. Its advice to residents is short: “if rats can’t feed, they can’t breed”.

The city publishes 311 rodent baiting requests as open data on its data portal, including a rodent baiting map, so you can see activity reported near you.

A national rodent ranking

Chicago topped the pest control company Orkin’s annual Rattiest Cities list for about a decade before Los Angeles overtook it in October 2025, leaving Chicago at number two. The list is based only on Orkin’s own count of new residential rodent treatments, so it’s one company’s data, not an official statistic.

Bed bugs

Chicago’s bed bug ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 7-28, Article VIII) sets duties for landlords, tenants, condominium and co-op associations, and licensed businesses such as hotels. It also bans dumping infested bedding or furniture on the public way unless it is fully bagged and labelled as infested, and bans recycling infested items.

City services: what they cover and what they cost

Service	Who runs it	What it covers	Charge
Rodent baiting request (311)	Department of Streets and Sanitation, Bureau of Rodent Control	Investigation of rat sightings, alley conditions, baiting of rat burrows	No fee published; request via 311 or online
Private property exterior inspection	City rodent control experts	Inspection of the outside of a private property at the owner’s request, with advice on how to deal with the rat problem	No fee published
Garbage carts	Bureau of Sanitation	96-gallon carts with lids for homes and buildings of four units or less; damaged carts replaced	Free

The city does not treat the inside of homes. For mice, cockroaches or bed bugs indoors, you or your landlord need a licensed pest management firm.

What private pest control costs

We found no independent, published price survey for Chicago, so we use national ranges rather than invent a local figure.

Pest	Reported typical range (USD)
Rats	$150 to $600
Mice	$150 to $550
Cockroaches	$100 to $600
Bed bugs	$300 to $500 per room
Termites (exterior barrier)	$225 to $2,500

Source: How Much Does Pest Control Cost? (2026), HomeGuide (homeguide.com), one-time visit ranges, checked September 2026. Full table in our US pest control cost guide.

Many Chicago rat problems start outdoors. Ask any company whether its quote includes exclusion work (sealing gaps) as well as baiting or trapping. Our guides to signs of rats in a home and signs of mice in a home explain what to record first.

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We are a comparison and referral service, not a pest control company. We do not guarantee a quote, a price or a response time. If there is an immediate risk to health or safety, contact the relevant emergency service.

Renting: who is responsible?

Under Chicago Municipal Code section 7-28-830, a landlord must provide pest control by a pest management professional within 10 days after a bed bug is found or reasonably suspected anywhere on the premises, or within 10 days after a tenant gives written notice of a known or suspected infestation. The ordinance defines a pest management professional as someone licensed, registered or certified by the State of Illinois under the Structural Pest Control Act, who has been trained in bed bug extermination.

Landlords must also give tenants the Department of Public Health’s bed bug brochure before a new rental agreement is signed or renewed (section 5-12-101). Tenants have duties too. Under section 7-28-850, referenced in the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, they must cooperate with inspection and treatment, including giving access and preparing the unit. For other pests, keep a written record of what you reported and when. See our guide to pests in a rented home.

How to choose a pest controller in Chicago

Check the licence. The Illinois Department of Public Health’s Structural Pest Control Program has an online business search. It lists active commercial structural pest control businesses (licence IDs starting 051-). You can search by name, street or city.
Ask about bed bug experience. For bed bugs in a rental, the Chicago ordinance expects a firm trained in bed bug extermination. Ask the company to describe its method and follow-up visits. See bed bugs in the US: what the EPA says.
Compare like with like. Get the number of visits, the products and any guarantee in writing. Our guide to choosing a pest controller lists the questions to ask.

Pest control businesses in Chicago

These businesses are listed from public business information. We have not checked their licences, and a listing is not an endorsement.