Sealing the openings that rats and mice use, crawl space first, so they cannot return once the current ones are gone.
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Rodent exclusion in Seattle means finding and closing every opening rats and mice use to enter a building, with the crawl space, vents, rooflines and pipe penetrations first. It prevents repeat infestations that trapping alone does not. Seattle Pest Control connects King County callers with an independent local company; a same-day visit is offered when a technician is free.
Trapping answers the question of what to do about the rodents you have. Exclusion answers the question of the next ones. In older Seattle-area houses the entry points are rarely a single obvious hole. They are a scatter of small ones: a torn crawl space vent screen, a gap where a gas line passes through the foundation, a worn garage door seal, a hole behind a downspout, a rotted fascia board under the eave. Closing all of them takes a walk around the building with a flashlight and the habit of looking up as well as down.
Crawl spaces and daylight basements are the focus on this page, since they are the main entry in so many Puget Sound homes. They are also where moisture lingers, so the work often overlaps with ventilation and drainage. Seattle Pest Control is a call line, answered 24/7, that connects you with an independent local pest-control company. Exclusion is a specialty of its own, and a same-day visit is offered only when a technician is free.
Because it is the most common route into a Puget Sound house and the hardest for an owner to check. Foundation vents, utility penetrations and gaps at the sill plate lead straight into walls and floors. A rodent that gets into the crawl space can reach the whole building from below.
Many older and hillside homes have crawl spaces or daylight basements, which are quiet, sheltered and often damp. They give rats and mice cover, insulation to nest in and a short path to the kitchen.
Sealing also gives the technician a reason to look at moisture, since rodents prefer a dry nest and a damp crawl space also attracts moisture ants and dampwood termites. See moisture ant control if the damp is the larger problem.
Metal that cannot be chewed: steel wool packed into small gaps, hardware cloth or heavy wire mesh over vents and larger holes, and sheet metal flashing for edges. Foam, caulk and plastic on their own are not reliable, because rodents gnaw through them. Sealant can hold metal in place.
The material is matched to the gap. Small holes around pipes take steel wool and a sealant. Vents take mesh with openings small enough to stop a mouse. Edges of a door or fascia may need a metal plate.
Ask the technician what each material is and why it is chosen. A good quote names the materials and where they go.
For sealing, a pest technician usually handles it. For rotted fascia, damaged framing or drainage work, a contractor is the right trade, and Washington requires many construction contractors to be registered with the Department of Labor and Industries. Verify any contractor before hiring.
The state publishes a page for checking a contractor's registration: verify a contractor. We do not claim that pest control alone requires this registration; repair that counts as construction does.
Doing the work in the right order saves money. Repair rotted wood first so there is something solid to seal to, then close the openings.
Pack small gaps around pipes with coarse steel wool, replace a worn door sweep, add a mesh screen over an open vent, trim branches off the roof and keep firewood and stored items away from the foundation. Leave crawl space entry, high roof work and large repairs to people with the right tools.
Be careful in a crawl space: low clearance, wiring, nails and loose insulation are real hazards. Wear gloves, a mask and eye protection, and tell someone where you are.
If you do seal gaps yourself, note where you worked. If activity continues, that tells the technician what was done and what to check.
Do not crawl into a space with standing water, exposed wiring or a strong smell without help, and do not seal a gap before you are sure no animal is trapped inside. Wear gloves and a mask around droppings, and keep pets away.
Say what you have heard or seen, where, and whether traps or other measures have been tried. A same-day visit is offered only when a technician is free, and no arrival time is promised.
The technician walks the full perimeter: foundation, vents, utility penetrations, doors, garage, siding gaps, roof edges and tree contact. Every opening that is a possible entry is noted and photographed.
Where it can be reached safely, the crawl space is checked for droppings, nesting, damaged insulation, loose vent screens, wet ground and any gap in the foundation or floor. Low, wet or blocked spaces are noted as limits.
You receive a list of each opening, the material proposed to close it and its priority. Entry points near food or living spaces come first.
The price is confirmed with you before work. Openings are closed with metal that rodents cannot chew, such as steel wool, hardware cloth or sheet metal, with sealant where appropriate.
A return visit confirms that no new gaps have appeared and that any traps inside are no longer catching. Where activity continues, the technician looks for the entry that was missed.
Screens on foundation vents are replaced or reinforced, gaps at the sill and where pipes pass through are closed, and the access door is checked for fit. Sealing for rodents is not the same as sealing for moisture, and the two are discussed together.
Roof rats and squirrels use rooflines. Gaps at fascia, soffit vents, gable vents and where the roof meets a wall are covered with metal or mesh, and tree limbs that bridge to the roof are pointed out.
Door sweeps, garage door seals and the gaps around plumbing, gas and wiring penetrations are the openings people forget. They are low cost to close and often the key to a repeat problem.
Some owners want the list of openings to close themselves or give to a handyman. That is a reasonable option, and the technician can describe the materials and methods.
No outside price for rodent exclusion is printed here. Quotes vary mostly with the number and location of openings.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Number of openings | Varies | A handful of small gaps is a small job; a building with dozens is not |
| Crawl space size and access | Depends on access | A low, wet or partly flooded crawl space takes longer and may limit what can be done |
| Height of the work | Varies | Rooflines and tall eaves need ladders or lifts and more time |
| Materials | Varies | Hardware cloth and sheet metal cost more than steel wool, and large vent replacements add to the total |
| Repairs to rotted wood | Contractor's price | Replacing fascia, trim or framing is construction work and is quoted separately |
Your exact price is confirmed on site before work starts. See the Seattle cost guide for what moves a quote.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what rodent exclusion and crawl space sealing should cost.
Hillside and lakeside lots in Seattle, Mercer Island and the Eastside produce a mix of crawl spaces and daylight basements, with the lower floor cut into the slope. The uphill wall can sit against soil, which means a gap there leads rodents directly into a finished room. Technicians check the uphill side as carefully as the street side.
Rockeries, retaining walls and landscaping that touches the siding are a regional habit, and they give rats a runway to the foundation. Keeping plantings a short distance from the wall, and a vent clear of leaf litter, makes sealing last longer.
Across the water in Kitsap County, wooded and waterfront lots may have longer driveways and outbuildings, and sheds and garages can be entry points for the house. Tell the person on the phone about outbuildings, because they are often part of the same problem.
Norway and roof rats need different handling. A technician finds the route in, removes the food and shelter, then treats.
Mice need only a small gap. Control means traps where they travel, a sealed building and a tidy pantry.
Attic, soffit and chimney entry points found and sealed so squirrels and raccoons cannot get in, with a plan for animals already inside.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
A Seattle pest control quote depends on the pest, the type and age of the building, how easily a technician can reach the crawl space and attic, how many visits the job needs and whether sealing or wood repair is included.
Two species cause most rat complaints in Washington: the Norway rat, which burrows low, and the roof rat, which climbs.
In Washington, applying pesticides commercially and performing structural pest inspections require licences from the State Department of Agriculture.
Largely, but vents and seals wear out. A yearly look at crawl space screens, door sweeps and the roofline helps. The technician can say what to check.
It can if done before they are out. The technician times the work so the animals have left, which is why exclusion usually follows trapping or comes with it.
The principle is the same but the openings and materials are larger. See squirrel and raccoon exclusion.
Pest control can point out the damp, and moisture correction is a related trade. The technician describes what the crawl space needs, and a contractor handles drainage or vapor barriers.
It depends on the number of openings and access. Small jobs finish in a visit; larger ones take more time. No arrival time or duration is promised.
That is a decision for your insurer. We cannot say, and no outcome is promised. Ask your insurance company before you rely on it.