Rodent Complaints in Washington: Where and When (2023–2026 311 Data)
By Marcus Ellery, Pest Control Editor · Updated September 2026 · Methodology
Washington logged 16,685 rodent complaints in 2025, which was down 1.2% on 2024, and 14,917 so far in 2026 through September. The year peaks in June at about 10.78% of annual volume and bottoms out in December at 4.95%. The busiest ZIP codes over the three full years were 20011, 20002, 20001, 20009, 20010, and 20011 alone ran about 1609.5 complaints per square mile.
What Washington counts
Every 311 service request DC Health opens to inspect and bait a property for rats. It is a request for city treatment, not a confirmed sighting. DC renamed the category from "Rodent Inspection and Treatment" to "DC Health Rodent & Vector Control" during 2026, so both codes are counted and the series runs continuously across the rename.
Pulled from Open Data DC — 311 City Service Requests (dataset DCGIS_DATA/ServiceRequests) with the filter SERVICECODEDESCRIPTION IN ('Rodent Inspection and Treatment','DC Health Rodent & Vector Control'). 100% of records carry a ZIP code. This is a different definition from the other cities we publish, so these counts should never be set against theirs.
Complaints by month, 2023 to 2026
September, October and November are shaded so you can see how the autumn months sit against the rest of the year in Washington.
2023
Year total 17,830
2024
Year total 16,883
2025
Year total 16,685
2026 (through Sep)
Year total 14,917
One caveat about the Washington data
Washington changed the name of this service code partway through 2026, from "Rodent Inspection and Treatment" to "DC Health Rodent & Vector Control". An extract written against the old name alone stops finding anything after April 2026 and looks like a collapse in rodent complaints rather than a rename, which is a good illustration of why every filter on this site is written down. Both codes are counted, so the series runs continuously across the change.
Reading the Washington numbers
Washington spreads its rodent complaints across 41 ZIP codes, and the load is not spread evenly. The busiest five carry 67% of the three-year total and the busiest ten carry 89%. ZIP 20011 alone logged 8,632 complaints, about 12.2 times the median ZIP code in the city. Adjusting for size changes the picture: 20009 runs the densest at about 4599 complaints per square mile across 1.32 square miles, even though it sits at rank 4 on raw volume.
Across the year, June (10.78%), July (10.72%) and August (10.39%) are the three heaviest months, while December (4.95%), January (5.27%) and February (5.63%) are the three lightest. May through October alone accounts for roughly 62% of a Washington year. Year to year the totals ran -5.3% into 2024, then -1.2% into 2025. 2026 stands at 14,917 through September.
Washington also records what the complaint was about. In 2025, 100% of them came in as “Rodent Inspection and Treatment” (16,684 of 16,684), which is worth knowing before you read the total as a rodent count.
Every month, in full
The raw counts behind the charts above, so you can check our arithmetic against Open Data DC — 311 City Service Requests yourself.
| Month | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Avg share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,061 | 1,015 | 643 | 858 | 5.27% |
| February | 909 | 1,141 | 838 | 650 | 5.63% |
| March | 1,105 | 1,313 | 1,212 | 1,422 | 7.08% |
| April | 1,697 | 1,539 | 1,509 | 2,109 | 9.23% |
| May | 1,928 | 1,606 | 1,704 | 2,254 | 10.18% |
| June | 2,103 | 1,652 | 1,793 | 2,354 | 10.78% |
| July | 1,902 | 1,753 | 1,854 | 2,315 | 10.72% |
| August | 1,824 | 1,713 | 1,803 | 2,322 | 10.39% |
| September | 1,617 | 1,682 | 1,829 | 633 | 10% |
| October | 1,638 | 1,626 | 1,655 | — | 9.58% |
| November | 1,113 | 1,036 | 1,039 | — | 6.2% |
| December | 933 | 807 | 806 | — | 4.95% |
Average share is the mean of each full calendar year’s monthly share, so a heavy year cannot dominate the seasonal curve. The 2026 column is incomplete by design.
The 25 busiest ZIP codes in Washington
Totals cover 2023 through 2025, the three full calendar years in the window. Per square mile uses the Census ZCTA land area, which is what makes a small dense ZIP comparable to a large one.
| Rank | ZIP | 2023–2025 total | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20011 | 8,632 | 1609.5 |
| 2 | 20002 | 8,413 | 1637.8 |
| 3 | 20001 | 6,911 | 3375.7 |
| 4 | 20009 | 6,062 | 4599 |
| 5 | 20010 | 4,416 | 4438.2 |
| 6 | 20019 | 3,411 | 555.9 |
| 7 | 20003 | 2,437 | 1072.3 |
| 8 | 20020 | 1,789 | 389 |
| 9 | 20017 | 1,770 | 796.7 |
| 10 | 20007 | 1,767 | 571.9 |
| 11 | 20018 | 1,192 | 395 |
| 12 | 20005 | 716 | 1651.7 |
| 13 | 20012 | 708 | 343.2 |
| 14 | 20032 | 625 | 119.1 |
| 15 | 20008 | 614 | 198.8 |
| 16 | 20036 | 465 | 1432.5 |
| 17 | 20037 | 462 | 631.1 |
| 18 | 20016 | 310 | 70 |
| 19 | 20024 | 287 | 130.8 |
| 20 | 20015 | 141 | 40.6 |
| 21 | 20004 | 128 | 659.8 |
| 22 | 20006 | 78 | 221.2 |
| 23 | 20530 | 3 | 192.3 |
| 24 | 20500 | 3 | — |
| 25 | 20057 | 3 | 19.2 |
41 ZIP codes recorded at least one complaint. Volume tracks reporting behaviour as well as rodent activity: a block that knows how to use 311 shows up more than an identical block that does not.
Freeze dates for Washington
The nearest NOAA station publishing 1991–2020 first-freeze normals is NATL ARBORETUM DC, 2.6 miles from the city point. One autumn in ten sees its first 32°F night by October 26; a typical year gets one around November 8; nine years in ten have had one by November 23. The station averages 84 nights a year below freezing.
We went into this expecting complaints to climb toward the first freeze. In Washington they do not. Washington complaints peak in June, and by November the month carries 3.8 percentage points less of the year than September did, with the typical first freeze still landing in November. We publish the gap rather than smoothing it. The likeliest reason is that a 311 rodent complaint is mostly an outdoor rat report, and outdoor rat activity runs highest in warm weather, while the autumn move indoors is house mouse behaviour that rarely becomes a city service request. Somebody with mice behind a kitchen cabinet calls an exterminator, not the city.
What removal costs if it is your house
National 2026 planning ranges from our estimator, not Washington quotes.
| Inspection + trapping | $175 – $500 |
| Removal + exclusion (seal entry points) | $400 – $1,100 |
| Above + attic cleanup / decontamination | $700 – $2,000 |
Check a Washington ZIP
Complaint total and rank inside Washington, plus freeze dates for the nearest station.
Frequently asked questions
Which Washington ZIP codes have the most rat complaints?
Over 2023 to 2025, the busiest ZIP codes were 20011 (8,632), 20002 (8,413), 20001 (6,911), 20009 (6,062), 20010 (4,416). Ranking by complaints per square mile changes the order, because a large ZIP collects more calls simply by being large. Both columns are in the table above. A busy ZIP code reflects how often people there call 311, which is not the same as how many rodents live there.
When do rodent complaints peak in Washington?
June, which carries about 10.78% of the year's complaints against 4.95% in December, the quietest month. That is roughly 2.2 times the volume between the high and low month. Autumn is already past the peak: November carries 3.8 points less of the year than September does.
What exactly does Washington count as a rodent complaint?
Every 311 service request DC Health opens to inspect and bait a property for rats. It is a request for city treatment, not a confirmed sighting. DC renamed the category from "Rodent Inspection and Treatment" to "DC Health Rodent & Vector Control" during 2026, so both codes are counted and the series runs continuously across the rename. We pulled it from Open Data DC — 311 City Service Requests using the filter SERVICECODEDESCRIPTION IN ('Rodent Inspection and Treatment','DC Health Rodent & Vector Control'). Nearly every record carries a ZIP code, so the ZIP code table and the citywide totals agree closely.
Are rodent complaints rising in Washington?
Between 2023 and 2025 they went down, by -6.4%. Year over year, 2025 was down 1.2% against 2024. Complaint counts move when a city promotes its 311 line or changes a category, so read the direction as a signal about reporting as much as about rodents.
Does the Washington complaint peak match the first freeze?
No, and the mismatch is the interesting part. The typical first 32°F night at NATL ARBORETUM DC lands in November, but Washington complaints peak in June and are already falling by November. We checked this across all six cities we pull and the pattern held in every one of them, so we are not going to tell you 311 data proves a rodent season that starts at the first freeze. City 311 rodent complaints are dominated by outdoor rat activity, which runs highest in warm months. The autumn move indoors is mostly a house mouse story, and a mouse in your wall rarely generates a call to the city.
Sources
- Open Data DC — 311 City Service Requests — dataset DCGIS_DATA/ServiceRequests, filtered on
SERVICECODEDESCRIPTION IN ('Rodent Inspection and Treatment','DC Health Rodent & Vector Control'), extracted September 9, 2026. - NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 — station USC00186350, NATL ARBORETUM DC.
- U.S. Census Bureau 2023 ZCTA gazetteer — ZIP land area used for the per-square-mile column.
- UC Statewide IPM Program — Pest Notes: Rats (Publication 74106) — rat behaviour and exclusion.
Getting a quote in Washington
Run the estimator for a fair range, then get two or three written quotes from licensed operators.
Free, no obligation. PestCost may be compensated by licensed pest control providers who receive your call or quote request. This never changes what you pay.
PestCost is an independent cost-information site, not a pest-control company, and does not service Washington. We may be compensated by licensed providers who receive your call or quote request. This never changes what you pay. Complaint counts describe what residents reported to Washington, not a count of rodents.