How to Report Rats in Memphis and What Happens Next

Which office handles what

Rat problems in Memphis cross several offices. Picking the right one saves a lot of waiting.

• Rats or mice active outdoors, burrows, or a neighborhood rat problem: Shelby County Health Department's rodent control program
• An abandoned house, an abandoned lot, junk or appliances stored outside, or substandard housing: City of Memphis Code Enforcement, through Memphis 311
• A missed trash pickup, a dead animal on a public street, or bulky waste questions: Memphis Solid Waste, through 311
• Rats or droppings at a restaurant or food business: Shelby County Health Department's food program
• Rats inside your own home or business: a private pest control provider

If you live in Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville, Arlington, Lakeland or Millington, property conditions go to your own city's code office instead of Memphis 311. The county rodent program covers the county's cities and towns.

Shelby County's rodent control program

Shelby County's health FAQ describes the rodent control program this way: it responds promptly to citizen complaints and examines the property for rodent activity, trained staff provide information on reducing activity, and in emergencies or when needed, staff apply EPA-certified rodenticides and traps to eliminate serious uncontrolled infestations. The FAQ lists (901) 324-5922 for complaints and information.

The program is paid for by a Vector Control Fee of 75 cents a month on MLGW bills, set by the County Commission in 2005 under a state law passed that year. The fee covers both mosquito and rodent control. The county's fee document notes that the fee does not relieve commercial and residential property owners of their duty to keep their property free of vermin.

A 2015 assessment of the program by the CDC gives a picture of how it works. At the time, the program sat inside the health department's Vector Control Section, served roughly 900,000 people in seven cities and towns, and averaged about 175 to 200 complaints a month in 2014. Staff could not enter private homes or businesses. They observed the complaint area and, where they found uncontrolled populations, placed bait in rodent holes around building perimeters. That assessment dates from 2015, so some details may have changed.

Memphis 311 and Code Enforcement

The City of Memphis takes service requests online at 311.memphistn.gov, and by phone at 901-636-6500. The city lists phone operator hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The 311 site also has a bilingual chatbot that helps you create or check a case.

Code Enforcement handles the property side. The city says its Code Enforcement unit administers Ordinance No. 5708, the International Property Maintenance Code as adopted by Memphis, to protect health and safety in existing dwellings. Its work covers minimum housing standards, environmental conditions that contribute to neighborhood decline, abandoned commercial buildings, and inoperable or abandoned vehicles. Common complaints include abandoned houses, structural defects, and junk or appliances stored on a property.

You can file through 311, or call Code Enforcement directly at 901-636-7464 about unsafe housing. The city lists Code Enforcement office hours as 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

What happens after you report

For a rodent complaint to the county, expect staff to look at the area you reported. Based on the program description, that can mean advice on removing food and shelter, and baiting outdoor burrows if staff find a serious infestation. The program does not treat inside homes, so plan on handling the inside of your house privately.

For a Code Enforcement complaint, the city describes a process that starts with an inspection. If the inspector finds violations, the owner gets notice to fix them. For dangerous or abandoned structures, the process can move through notice by certified mail, a condemnation hearing and, if the owner does nothing, demolition by the city with the cost assessed against the property. Vehicle cases get a follow-up inspection 14 days after a violation order.

Enforcement of local codes like trash rules also runs through the courts. The CDC assessment credited Shelby County's environmental courts with enforcing rodent-related codes such as trash regulations.

None of this happens overnight. Keep your case number, take dated photos, and follow up if conditions do not change.

Tips for a complaint that gets results

A clear report is easier to act on. Include:

• The exact address, or the nearest address and a description if it is a vacant lot or alley
• What you have seen: live rats, burrows, droppings, chewed trash, and the time of day
• How long it has been going on
• The likely source if you know it: an abandoned house, overflowing dumpster, junk pile, open garbage carts or a neighbor feeding animals outdoors
• Dated photos, if you can take them safely

Do not touch dead rodents or droppings without gloves and disinfectant. The CDC's cleanup method is to wet droppings with a bleach solution or disinfectant for five minutes, wipe them up with paper towels, and bag them. See rodent droppings cleanup.

Rats in your own house

If rats or mice are already inside, reporting to the county or city will not clear them out. Public programs work outside and on property conditions. Inside, a private provider can inspect, trap and seal.

Memphis houses tend to let rodents in at two levels. Roof rats get in high, through soffits, gable vents and roof joints, often using tree limbs as bridges. Norway rats and mice get in low, through crawl space vents, pipe gaps and gaps at the slab. A provider should check both. See rat control and rodent exclusion.

If you rent, write to your landlord first. Tennessee's landlord-tenant act applies in Shelby County. The tenant and landlord guide explains who is responsible.

Rats at a business, school or apartment complex

Where you report depends on what kind of property it is.

For a restaurant, grocery store or other food business, contact the Shelby County Health Department's food program. The state Department of Health lists 901-222-9190 for Shelby County food questions. Describe what you saw, where, and when. If you saw a rodent inside the dining area or kitchen, say so plainly. See the restaurant violations guide.

For an apartment complex, start with the management office in writing, since the owner is responsible for common areas and building conditions. If the dumpster area or a vacant unit is the source and management does not act, Memphis 311 takes code complaints, and the county rodent program takes complaints about outdoor rodent activity.

For a vacant commercial building or a business with junk stored outside, Code Enforcement handles abandoned commercial structures and property conditions through 311.

For a school or other public building, contact the building's administration first. Public facilities usually have their own pest control contracts, and administrators can tell you who services the building.

Keep track of what you filed and when. The 311 site lets you check the status of a case online, and a case number makes follow-up calls faster. If rats show up again after a case is closed, file a new report that references the old case number.

If you live in DeSoto County, Mississippi

Southaven, Olive Branch, Horn Lake and the rest of DeSoto County are outside Shelby County and outside Memphis 311. Shelby County's rodent program and fee do not apply there. Property conditions go to your own city's code enforcement office, and food businesses fall under Mississippi's health system. For rodents inside your home, a provider licensed in Mississippi handles it.