Ann Arbor particulars
Ann Arbor's police animal control, working with the Humane Society of Huron Valley at 734-662-5585, says it does not remove skunks or bats and tells residents to find a private pest control service. For a bat, though, the order matters. If there was contact, or one was in a room with someone asleep, call the county health office first, because DNR treats that as a potential rabies exposure. The city's IPM page covers lawn and garden practices, not houses.
Washtenaw County's health topics include pages for mosquitoes, Lyme and ticks, bed bugs and a Fight the Bite page, though we cannot say what most of those pages tell you, so ask the county health department. MDHHS's October 16, 2026 summary lists Washtenaw County among those with West Nile-positive mosquito pools and one Jamestown Canyon-positive pool. Ann Arbor has 121,179 residents, 64.3 percent of homes built before 1980 and a median home value of $435,100 (Census ACS 2023).
At that value, read the seller disclosure's question about termite and carpenter ant history closely. Applicators are licensed by MDARD under MCL 324.8328, not by the city. Ypsilanti, 6.0 miles away, shares the county.
Bed bugs in Ann Arbor: what to know
Ann Arbor counts 121,179 residents and a median home value of $435,100 (Census ACS 2023). The county's health topics list pages for mosquitoes, Lyme and ticks, bed bugs and a Fight the Bite page, though we cannot say what those pages advise. MDHHS's bed bug pages say bed bugs are not a sign of a dirty home, that only a live bug confirms them and that foggers do not work.
The EPA adds that control takes time and patience and that pesticide alone will not easily eliminate them. Every company should be asked how many visits the first price includes.
Permits for bed bugs in Ann Arbor
MDHHS's guide says businesses that apply insecticides for hire must be licensed with MDARD and applicators must be certified or registered.
Many cities run their own building department, so start by asking the City of Ann Arbor building department who issues pest control permits.
Bed bugs: urgent or not
- Nothing about bed bugs is a same-night emergency; they are not known to transmit disease. Act within days, not minutes.
- Bites with no live bug found yet.
- A single bug on a suitcase or secondhand piece of furniture.
Before the company arrives
Try this first: read the county's bed bug page before you call, and compare it with what the company tells you.
- Photograph any live bug or cast skin and keep a bug in a sealed container.
- Do not set off a fogger or spray alcohol; tell your landlord if you rent.
- Ask the company which methods it uses and how many visits the quote includes.
- Ask for the applicator's license, the company's license number and the product label.
- Do not bring in a used mattress or secondhand upholstered furniture.
What bed bugs cost
The estimate below is the Michigan-wide one, adjusted for Michigan wages and not for Ann Arbor in particular. The same table is on the bed bugs page. How we estimate costs. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $2,100 to $5,650 per home | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Michigan pest control worker median wage ratio (0.98). No Michigan pest control company price is shown, because none of the companies we looked at published a regular price. |
| Estimated range per room, not a quote | $250 to $565 per room | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Michigan pest control worker median wage ratio (0.98). No Michigan pest control company price is shown, because none of the companies we looked at published a regular price. |
| Pest control worker wage, Michigan median | $21.38 an hour | What pest control workers are paid (O*NET republishing BLS, May 2025), not what you are charged. Percentile data, not re-checked against the BLS table. |
| MDHHS statement on professional treatment | "several hundred dollars a visit" | From an undated MDHHS booklet; may be old. Not a quote. |
| State fee, pesticide application business license | $100 a year, expires every December 31 | Every company that applies pesticides for hire needs one, in addition to its applicators' credentials. |
How we estimate costs: the Estimated range row is a model, not a quote. It takes one published national range for this job (a cost guide from a third-party site that we have not verified and do not cite) and multiplies it by Michigan's pest control worker median wage ratio to the US (0.98, BLS May 2025 data read through O*NET OnLine). The wage and state fee rows in the table are what pest control workers are paid and what the state charges to license them, and neither is a price. We have not collected quotes, and we found no Michigan pest control company that publishes a regular price. Full method.
Questions about bed bugs
How do you get rid of bed bugs fast?
There is no fast one-step fix. The EPA says control takes time and patience, and MDHHS says foggers do not kill bed bugs and recommends an experienced professional. Start by confirming a live bug.
What will 100 percent kill bed bugs?
No single product does, according to the EPA, which says pesticide applications alone will not easily eliminate an infestation and that resistance is documented in some areas. Treat any "100 percent" claim as a reason to ask for the method in writing.
Can bed bugs be gone overnight?
Not by anything MDHHS or the EPA describes. Eggs resist many methods and the EPA expects control to take time. A plan with follow-up visits is the realistic shape.