Rat exterminator cost: $150 to $600 (HomeGuide 2026)

National figures. Rats cost more than mice mainly because of where they live: attics, crawl spaces and wiring.

Do this now: before the rat company arrives

1. Leave droppings and nests alone until you have gloves and disinfectant. The CDC says not to sweep or vacuum, to air the space 30 minutes, and to soak droppings in disinfectant or 1 to 9 bleach for 5 minutes before wiping them up.
2. Note where the noise is and when. UC IPM lists noises from the attic or drop ceilings, smudge marks along beams, pipes and walls, droppings near pet food, and burrows under garbage cans and compost.
3. Pull pet food and garbage inside and into sealed containers; UC IPM lists rat droppings around pet dishes as a first sign.
4. Check the attic for chewed wiring only if you can do it safely, and if you see bare or chewed conductors, leave it to the electrician.
5. Do not put out rodenticide yourself near pets or children. UC IPM says all rodenticides are toxic to nontarget species, pets and humans, and some are sold only to licensed professionals.

Is it urgent? Rats in the attic and chewed wiring

Rats in an attic are the urgent case: UC IPM says rats gnaw on electrical wires and wooden structures, that roof rats in attics can create electrical sparks and fires, and that rats may chew directly on natural gas lines. HomeGuide prices rewiring after rodent damage at $5 to $17 per square foot and attic insulation replacement at $2 to $6, which is why the attic job is quoted higher than the kitchen one. HomeGuide puts emergency, weekend and holiday visits at $100 to $200 extra. Rats in the yard or a shed can wait for a second bid; the emergency exterminator guide covers what a first visit involves.

How much does a rat exterminator cost?

A rat exterminator costs $150 to $600 in HomeGuide's 2026 guide, with a $375 national average and an overall spread of $90 to $6,500; Fixr puts rodents at $225 to $500 and This Old House at $180 to $600. HomeGuide's tiers: small, one entrance sealed, $200 to $500; medium, three to four visits and several entry points sealed, $500 to $1,500; large, with trapping, sealing, fumigation, cleanup and repairs, $1,500 to $8,000. The call-out or inspection fee is $90 to $150 (HomeGuide). We publish costs and what the sources say the signs mean; we do not inspect homes or say whether a home needs treatment. A pest control company licensed in your state does that on site.

Signs of rats in the house

• Droppings near pet food and in cabinets; HomeGuide says gnawed holes up to 2 inches wide.
• Tooth marks about 1/6 inch (4 mm), twice the size of a mouse's (UC IPM).
• Smudge marks where fur rubs beams, rafters, pipes and walls (UC IPM; HomeGuide).
• Noises from the attic or drop ceilings (UC IPM), and scratching in walls (HomeGuide).
• Burrows under garbage cans, compost piles and garden plants, and rats running utility lines or fence tops at dusk (UC IPM).
• Nests behind boxes, in garage clutter and woodpiles (UC IPM).

Rats in the attic vs rats in the walls: roof rats and Norway rats

UC IPM Pest Note 74106, June 2025.

Attic noise usually points to roof rats, which UC IPM says nest above ground and indoors favor attics, wall and ceiling voids and cabinets; basement and ground-floor activity points to Norway rats, which burrow along foundations and can undermine slabs. The distinction sets the trap placement and where the company looks for entry points: roofline, soffits and vents for roof rats, the foundation gap and utility openings for Norway rats (CDC's entry point list covers both).

Exclusion vs baiting for rats

UC IPM says all holes larger than 1/4 inch should be sealed with steel wool, wire screen or sheet metal, because rats chew through plastic, foam, wood and caulk, and never with lightweight chicken wire; vents and windows get mesh no larger than 1/2 inch. On trapping, UC IPM calls snap traps the safest, most effective and most economical way to trap rats, with Norway rat traps close to walls and roof rat traps off the ground on ledges, shelves and branches. On baiting, it says every rodenticide is toxic to pets, people and wildlife, to minimize entry points before baiting outdoors, and to use tamper-resistant stations. HomeGuide's prices: traps with monitoring $150 to $600, bait stations $200 to $400, sealing up to 3 days of work bundled into its tiers.

How to get rid of rats: what a first visit covers

A first visit at $90 to $150 (HomeGuide's call-out fee) is an inspection: runways, burrows, droppings, gnaw marks, the roofline and the foundation, then a count of traps or stations and a list of openings to seal. HomeGuide says traps work in a few days and poison up to a week, with large infestations taking more than a month, and that sealing all entry points takes up to 3 days. Fumigation is the rare, large-infestation option at $1.50 to $4 per square foot, with 24 to 72 hours out of the house (HomeGuide).

Cleanup after rats: insulation, crawl spaces and the CDC rules

Cleanup is its own line on the quote: HomeGuide puts crawl space cleaning after a large infestation at $1,500 to $4,000, attic insulation replacement at $2 to $6 per square foot and drywall repair at $300 to $1,500 or more. The CDC's rules for the work: no sweeping or vacuuming, 30 minutes of ventilation, gloves, disinfectant or 1 to 9 bleach soaked 5 minutes, double-bagged nests and carcasses, and for heavy infestations coveralls, goggles and a HEPA respirator; if rodents have reached the heating or cooling ducts, contact a professional rodent exterminating service. The mouse exterminator cost guide has the step list.

Questions to ask a rat control company

• Which rat, and where is it getting in? Ask for the entry-point list in writing.
• Sealing materials: steel wool, wire screen, sheet metal (UC IPM); not foam or chicken wire alone.
• Traps or bait, and how often are they checked?
• Is attic or crawl space cleanup in the quote, and is insulation replacement separate?
• License number and proof of insurance (EPA).

Start at the pest control hub or compare the pest control cost table. City pages: pest control in Houston, pest control in San Antonio, pest control in Dallas, pest control in Austin, pest control in New York, pest control in Atlanta, pest control in Charlotte, pest control in Denver. Calls go to an independent pest control company that serves your area and takes this kind of job; hours vary and the company quotes its own inspection or first-visit fee. How calls work.