Pest control in Los Angeles: costs, city services and local pests

Quick answer: In Los Angeles, mosquitoes are handled by your local vector control district, which is free. Rodent complaints about a property go to LA County Environmental Health, which inspects and refers but does not exterminate. California law requires landlords to keep rentals free of rodents and vermin and sets specific bed bug duties. Check any company on the California Structural Pest Control Board’s licence search.

Los Angeles has a warm climate all year, dense housing and several overlapping public agencies. This page explains which agency does what, what landlords must do under California law, typical private costs, and how to check a pest control 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 Los Angeles

Rats, fleas and flea-borne typhus

On 2 April 2026, the LA County Department of Public Health reported a record 220 cases of flea-borne typhus in the county in 2025, up from 187 in 2024. It said cases were reported across the county, including three localised outbreaks investigated in 2025 in Central Los Angeles City, Santa Monica and Willowbrook in South LA County.

The Department says infected fleas in the county are commonly found on rats, free-roaming cats and opossums, and that people are often exposed in and around their homes. Its prevention advice for residents includes routine flea control on pets, avoiding stray animals and stopping wildlife from living in or around the home. For health questions, follow LA County Public Health’s typhus guidance and speak to your doctor. Our guide to fleas in the home explains how property treatment and pet treatment fit together.

Mosquitoes, including invasive Aedes

Mosquito control in LA County is split between several vector control districts. The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District provides services free of charge to 36 cities, including portions of the City of Los Angeles, and parts of unincorporated LA County. It deals with mosquitoes, black flies and midges, and uses handheld and truck-mounted equipment against West Nile virus and invasive Aedes mosquitoes. The District says many infestations happen in residents’ own backyards and patios, where its staff cannot easily inspect. See our guide to mosquitoes around a US home.

A national rodent ranking

In October 2025, the pest control company Orkin put Los Angeles at number one on its annual Rattiest Cities list, ahead of Chicago, which had topped the list for about a decade. The ranking is based only on Orkin’s own count of new residential rodent treatments between August 2024 and August 2025, so treat it as one company’s data, not an official statistic.

Public services: what they cover and what they cost

Service	Who runs it	What it covers	Charge
Rodent complaints	LA County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health (888-700-9995 or online)	Inspections, consultations, inspection reports and referrals for rodent infestations on a property, in unincorporated areas and cities that have adopted the County’s ordinance	No fee to report
Mosquitoes, black flies, midges	Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District (562-944-9656) or LA County West Vector Control District (310-915-7370), depending on area	Service requests, standing-water reports, treatments	Free
Rental housing complaints (City of LA)	Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD)	Habitability complaints about multifamily rental properties, including vermin and pests	No fee to report

No public agency here exterminates inside private homes. Check which vector control district covers your address on the County’s district map. The cities of Long Beach and Pasadena also have their own vector control contacts.

What private pest control costs

We found no independent, published price survey for Los Angeles, 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.

Termite work is common in Southern California, and quotes can involve local treatment or whole-structure fumigation. HomeGuide reports $2,000 to $8,000 for whole-home tenting. Read our guide to termite treatment contracts in the USA before you sign anything.

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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?

California Civil Code section 1941.1 says a rental building and its grounds must be kept “free from all accumulations of debris, filth, rubbish, garbage, rodents, and vermin”. California also has specific bed bug rules in the Civil Code:

A landlord must not show, rent or lease a vacant unit that the landlord knows has a current bed bug infestation (section 1954.602).
Since 1 July 2017, landlords must give prospective tenants a written notice about bed bugs before a new tenancy begins (section 1954.603).
After a pest control operator inspects units, the landlord must notify tenants of the findings in writing within two business days (section 1954.605).

In the City of Los Angeles, tenants in multifamily rentals can file a habitability complaint with LAHD if a pest problem isn’t fixed. Keep dated records and photos, and see our guide to pests in a rented home.

How to choose a pest controller in Los Angeles

Check the licence. In California, structural pest control companies and operators are licensed by the Structural Pest Control Board, part of the Department of Consumer Affairs. You can search its licence database by business name, individual name or licence number. Cancelled licences don’t appear, so call the Board on 916-561-8704 if a company doesn’t show up.
Ask what’s included. Ask about exclusion work (sealing gaps), follow-up visits, and whether fumigation or local treatment is proposed and why.
Get the plan in writing. See our guide to choosing a pest controller and our checklist for preparing for a pest control visit.

Pest control businesses in Los Angeles

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