Detroit particulars
Three Detroit residents have caught West Nile virus this year, according to MDHHS's report of October 16, 2026, and six mosquito pools from the city tested positive. Those figures are provisional, since the page is overwritten weekly, and Wayne County keeps its own separate counts. The county is also monitoring the Asian tiger mosquito, which a September 2025 advisory calls new to Michigan, so Hamtramck, 2.5 miles away, sits inside the same watch.
We know of no city-run program that sprays for adult mosquitoes, which does not prove that none exists, so ask the city before you count on one. Detroit has 636,644 residents, a median home value of $76,800 and 90.1 percent of homes built before 1980 (Census ACS 2023). In houses that old, ask any company to show you each gap it found instead of describing it, and ask who will close it.
The city adds no pest-control license of its own. MDARD licenses applicators and firms statewide, and MCL 324.8328 bars local rules that duplicate or extend its pesticide law, so the license numbers to ask for are the state's. MDARD takes complaints at 800-292-3939. The next closest places on this site are Hazel Park, Ferndale, Oak Park and Dearborn.
Rodents in Detroit: what to know
Detroit's 636,644 residents live in a city where 90.1 percent of homes were built before 1980 (Census ACS 2023). The EPA lists droppings near food, nesting material and chewed holes in walls and floors as the signs of a rodent problem, and says to discourage rodents by removing food, water and shelter and sealing holes with steel wool or a patch. The sources we can cite describe Detroit's own rodent routing differently, so we do not print a number for it.
On the hiring side, MDARD's category 7D covers rats and mice and 7A covers pests in and around dwellings. MDARD does not say which a mouse job needs, so ask which the applicator holds, and ask who closes the entry points.
Permits for rodents in Detroit
MDARD's category 7D covers using pesticides against vertebrate pests such as birds, rats and mice, and 7A covers pests in and around dwellings.
Many cities run their own building department, so start by asking the City of Detroit building department who issues pest control permits.
Rodents: urgent or not
- Droppings or chewed packaging in a space where you prepare or store food: clean up, seal the food, and book the same week.
- A single mouse sighting with no droppings in food areas.
- Noises in a wall or ceiling that stop in daylight.
What to try before you call
Try this first: walk the basement and kitchen with a flashlight and photograph every dropping, gnaw mark and gap.
- Put food in sealed containers and clean up spills and standing water.
- Find holes by looking along the walls and floors for droppings and chewing.
- Seal what you can reach with steel wool or a patch.
- Note where you see the signs and photograph them.
- Ask the company to show you every entry point it found.
What rodents cost
The estimate below is the Michigan-wide one, adjusted for Michigan wages and not for Detroit in particular. The same table is on the rodents page. How we estimate costs. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $125 to $680 per job | 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. |
| State fee, certified commercial applicator | $75 | Paid by the person, not added to your bill as a line. Michigan statute and MDARD agree. |
| 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 rodents
How do I keep rodents away in Michigan?
Remove food, water and shelter, and seal the holes, using steel wool or a patch, according to the EPA. DNR suggests metal flashing or hardware cloth and a capped, screened chimney for small wild rodents, with the caveat that its page covers wild species.
What qualifies as a rodent infestation?
The EPA does not set a count; it lists signs: droppings near food, nesting material, and chewed holes in walls and floors. If you see those, act on the entry points and ask a company to inspect.
Is it worth getting an exterminator for mice?
It is when you cannot find or reach the entry points, or when you want bait handled by a licensed applicator. Sealing is the part that lasts, so ask the company what it will do about the holes.