Who may trap rats and mice in a Florida house, and who may use poison?

The certificate for trapping, and its limits

Section 482.157 creates a limited commercial wildlife management certificate for people who trap wildlife with nonchemical methods, such as traps, mechanical or electronic devices and exclusion, to control commensal rodents. It does not authorize pesticides other than adhesive materials, running a pest control business or supervising uncertified people.

The exam application costs $150 to $300 under the statute, and renewal is $75 to $150 with 4 hours of continuing education. FDACS's fee page, with fees as of July 1, 2016, lists $150 for the exam and issuance and $75 for renewal.

Rodent control cost in Florida: what our model says

The model's rodent control range is $125 to $685 per job. It's one national source, widened 15 percent each side and scaled by Florida's wage ratio of 0.99, and it's an estimate, not a quote.

No Florida company rodent price was counted. Ask what a job includes: the trapping, the sealing, any removal of carcasses and the number of return visits.

Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (1 source), adjusted by Florida's pest control worker wage ratio to the US (0.99, BLS May 2025), with no permit fee added because pest control has no city permit. Not a quote. Four Florida pest control companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. We have no counted Florida company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.

When the job is a pesticide job

Anything with a pesticide beyond adhesive materials is pest control under chapter 482, which means an FDACS business license for the location and an operator in charge certified in the category the work falls under. FDACS's licensing page calls the household category General Household Pest and Rodent Control, so ask whether the company's operator in charge holds it.

Employees who apply pesticide carry an identification card and have had at least 5 days of field training under a certified operator. On request the company gives you the pesticide's common or brand name and active ingredient.

Orange County's rodent line

In Orange County the mosquito and vector control district lists rats among its services, and the county's directory lists the Health Department at 407-858-1400 under Rats/Rodent Control.

A photo of the droppings, the gnaw marks or the animal helps whoever you call say which rodent it is.

Trapping alone and sealing

Section 482.157 names exclusion among the certificate's nonchemical methods. Ask for the entry points in writing and whether the price covers sealing, the traps and a follow-up visit.

Do rats or mice need a same-day call?

Steps before the visit

1. Photograph droppings, gnaw marks or the animal with a coin beside it for scale.
2. Write down where and when you saw or heard it.
3. Ask whether the company traps, uses pesticide or both.
4. Ask to see the wildlife certificate or the business license number.
5. Ask for the entry points and the follow-up visits in writing.

Who needs which license for rodents

Trapping alone calls for the limited wildlife certificate, while pesticide work calls for a business license with a certified operator in charge. A city can charge a local business tax receipt but adds no rodent license. Ask to see the certificate or the business license number.

Ask for the company's FDACS business license number and the name of its certified operator in charge, and check the license with FDACS before any work starts.

Questions people ask

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Related services

• Wildlife removal
• Ants and roaches
• Quarterly service
• Emergency pest control

Florida licensing, code and permit facts · Report a wrong price or rule