What DSHS says about rats, fleas and typhus
DSHS's page on flea-borne (murine) typhus says rats and their fleas are the natural reservoirs, and that opossums and domestic cats may also transmit it. People get it from an infected flea through a bite wound, scratching, or inhaled dried flea feces, and the incubation period is 6 to 14 days.
Reported human cases ran 663 in 2021, 580 in 2022, 835 in 2023, 847 in 2024, 1,110 in 2025 and 715 in 2026 to September 30, all provisional. DSHS adds that real incidence may be higher than the reported count.
What rodent control costs in Texas
Our estimate for a rodent control job in Texas is $115 to $615 per job. It comes from one national range, widened and adjusted by Texas's pest control wage ratio of 0.89, and it's an estimate, not a quote.
One Texas company publishes a rodent price, short of the five we need for a range of our own. Ask whether the price includes sealing entry points, how many follow-up visits it has and what happens if the rodents return.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $115 to $615 per job | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Texas pest control worker wage ratio (0.89). Four Texas 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. Basis: no state company sample (one counted Texas company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Pest control worker wage, Texas mean | $19.90 an hour | What the job pays a Texas worker on average (BLS, May 2025), not what rodent work costs you. |
| State fee, business license, each location | $300 to license, $300 to renew | TDA charges the business this for each location (fees effective January 1, 2016). |
| State fee, certified applicator license | $125 to license, $125 to renew | The person's own license fee, and each category exam costs $64. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (1 source), adjusted by Texas's pest control worker wage ratio to the US (0.89, BLS May 2025), with no permit fee added because pest control has no city permit. Not a quote. Four Texas 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. Only one Texas company publishes a price we could count for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
Who may bait or trap for pay
TDA publishes a leaflet titled "Always Use a Licensed Pest Control Applicator" about controlling rodents in your home, and rodent control with pesticides on structures for hire falls under the Pest control category. Occupations Code 1951.052 exempts a person working on property the person owns or leases as a dwelling. Section 1951.055 lets an owner use retail household products, per the label, in an area the owner occupies (both sections from a 2018 copy of the statute).
Before an indoor treatment at an owner-occupied home, the applicator makes TDA's pest control information sheet available to the owner. The same law sends the sheet to each tenant at a rental with fewer than five units.
Rentals, and what Austin puts in city code
Austin's code requires landlords to maintain rentals free from rodent or insect infestations, according to the city's rodent page, and residents report rats and rodent problems to 3-1-1. For multi-family or commercial rentals the city points to the Austin Tenant's Council or Development Services Code Compliance at 3-1-1. That page lists murine typhus, plague, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, trichinosis and rat-bite fever as rodent-borne diseases.
Do rodents need a same-day call?
- Someone feeling ill after bait or a spray: Texas Poison Center, 1-800-764-7661.
- Collecting written estimates once you can say what you saw and where.
- Choosing between a one-time job and a plan.
Steps before the visit
- Photograph droppings or damage with a coin beside them.
- Write down where and when you heard or saw activity.
- Ask which rodent the company found and how it knows.
- Ask for the product label and the license number.
- Ask whether you will get the information sheet before bait or spray goes in indoors.
License rules for rodent work
Rodent control with pesticides for hire needs a TDA structural business license, $300 for each location, and the business designates a responsible certified applicator. A 2018 copy of Occupations Code 1951.005 bars cities from adopting their own pesticide use rules. Ask for the business license number and the name of the responsible certified applicator.
Ask for the company's TDA business license number and the applicator's name, and check both with TDA's Structural Pest Control Service before any work starts.
Questions people ask
Do rats carry disease in Texas?
DSHS says rats and their fleas are the natural reservoirs of flea-borne typhus. It counted 1,110 reported human cases in 2025 and 715 in 2026 through September 30 (provisional).
Does a rodent company need a license in Texas?
Yes, when it uses pesticides on structures for hire: TDA places that work in the Pest control category. TDA's leaflet on rodents is titled "Always Use a Licensed Pest Control Applicator."
Can a landlord be required to treat rodents in Texas?
Austin's code requires landlords to keep rentals free from rodent or insect infestations. That is Austin's rule. For other cities, ask the city's code compliance office.
Who do I report rats to in Austin?
Austin 3-1-1. For multi-family or commercial rentals the city also points to the Austin Tenant's Council or Development Services Code Compliance at 3-1-1.
What does rodent control cost in Texas?
Our model gives one job $115 to $615 per job, which is an estimate and not a quote. Ask what the visit includes and whether follow-ups are in the price.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Pest Control Workers (SOC 37-2021), Texas, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Pest Control Workers (SOC 37-2021), United States, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- PestControlMatch: how we estimate costs, Texas (editorial policy) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDA: SPCS Fees Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDA: Structural Pest Control Business Read Oct 23, 2026.
- DSHS: Flea-borne Typhus; Human Cases 2000-2026 Read Oct 23, 2026.
- DSHS: Human Cases 2000-2026 Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDA: Control Rodents in Your Home (PDF) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas Occupations Code §1951.052: Dwelling-owner exception Read Oct 28, 2026.
- Texas Occupations Code §§1951.453–1951.455: Consumer information and posting contexts Read Oct 28, 2026.
- City of Austin: Report a problem with rodents Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas Occupations Code §1951.005: Municipal preemption and exceptions Read Oct 28, 2026.
- 4 TAC §7.147: Consumer Information Sheet Read Oct 28, 2026.
- 4 TAC §7.148: Responsibilities of Unlicensed Persons for Posting and Notification Read Oct 28, 2026.