Boise's new rat ordinance starts enforcement on December 1, 2026 — and compliance officers will be checking properties. If your home has the gaps, vents, and food sources rats use, you're liable: the city can do the work and bill you for it. We make compliance cheap: do it yourself with the right guidance and products, or have it done — either way, we get it done together.
Book a $49 Compliance Inspection The DIY Compliance ChecklistInspection: $49 — and if you have us do the work, the inspection's free. Inspections run two days a week in the Boise area, stacked back to back — that's how we keep the price low. How it works.
A pest company can remove the rats you have. It doesn't keep the next ones out — that takes carpentry: steel vent covers, screened attic vents, sealed pipe penetrations, repaired soffits, door sweeps. That's the work we do, and it's the work the ordinance actually demands of property owners. Two ways to get there:
The ordinance, translated into a plain checklist — what to seal, what to screen, what to store — with the exact products that hold up, linked honestly. Most homes can get most of the way there in a weekend. Start the checklist
A $49 compliance inspection finds every entry point, you get a written fixed quote, and the truck is stocked — common fixes get done the same visit. See the work
Rats are a citywide problem, and enforcement will land on rental properties. When it does, the question won't be whether your units ever had rats — it will be whether you can prove you were fighting the problem: dated inspections, photos of sealed entry points, work orders, invoices. We build that compliance file for every property we touch, and our manager program keeps it current all season. See the manager program.
Steel covers and mesh on foundation and attic vents — the most common way in. Details
The carpentry part pest companies sub out or skip: soffits, fascia, eaves, and roof-to-wall joints sealed right. Details
Every hole where a pipe, wire, or AC line enters the house — sealed with materials rats can't chew through. Details
Door sweeps and garage door seals that close the gap a rat needs — a quarter inch is plenty for a young rat. Details
When does enforcement start? The Boise rat ordinance (city code § 4-1-2) passed in October 2026; November is the city's education month and enforcement begins December 1, 2026. Owners are responsible for securing food sources, removing harborage, and fixing structural conditions that shelter rats. Read the requirements on the City of Boise's official page.
What happens if my property isn't compliant? The city can cite the owner, and where a nuisance isn't corrected, it can abate the problem and bill the owner for the cost. A documented inspection and completed sealing work is your proof of compliance — and your defense.
How much does sealing a house cost? It depends on how many entry points you have. Single fixes (a set of vent covers, a door sweep) run modest; a whole-house seal on an average home commonly runs $500–$2,500. Your $49 inspection produces the written number first — and comes off the bill if we do the work.
Rats are already inside. Is that you? Removal is the other half of the job — our sister site handles it: Treasure Valley Rat Control. Proofing keeps them out; trapping gets the current ones out. Most infested homes need both.