Rat Poison Rules in BC: What Richmond Homeowners Can Use

You cannot legally use the strongest rat poisons in a BC home. Since January 21, 2023, second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides have been prohibited in residential buildings across the province, and that applies to homeowners and pest control companies alike.

If you have rats or mice in a Richmond house, townhouse or condo, the work is now done with traps and by sealing the building.

What exactly is banned

The rule covers second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, often shortened to SGARs. Three active ingredients are involved: brodifacoum, bromadiolone and difethialone.

These poisons stop blood from clotting. A rodent that eats the bait takes several days to die, and during that time it is slow, easy to catch and carrying a dose that stays in its body.

BC first restricted these products temporarily in 2021 and made the restriction permanent from January 21, 2023.

Why BC did it

The problem is what happens next. An owl, hawk, coyote or cat that eats a poisoned rat takes in the poison too, and it accumulates with each meal.

Richmond is a good example of why this matters. Barn owls and other raptors hunt along the farm fields and ditches of East Richmond and the dykes on the west side. They are the natural check on the rodent population, and they were being poisoned by the bait meant to control it.

Who is exempt

The prohibition is not total. Certain essential services can still have these products used on site by licensed operators. They include:

• Hospitals and other health care facilities
• Certain subsidized housing with on-site supports for adults who are homeless or at risk of it
• Agricultural operations
• Grocery stores and other places that provide or sell food
• Landfills and recycling processing facilities

Conditions apply to all of these. A house, apartment, condo or townhouse is not on the list.

What is still legal

The rule targets second-generation anticoagulants only. The Province's guide for residents says first-generation anticoagulants (chlorophacinone, diphacinone and warfarin) are still available, but should be used only as a last resort and only on a short-term basis.

That does not make them a good idea in a home. HealthLinkBC says it is not a good idea to use poison or baits to control rodents. Any poison is a risk to children, pets and wildlife, and a poisoned rodent can die inside a wall. If you use one anyway, follow the label exactly, keep bait where children and pets cannot reach it, and remove leftover bait and dead rodents when you are done. The label is a legal document, and using a product in a way the label does not allow is itself an offence.

What works instead

A lasting fix for rats and mice has three parts. None of them is poison.

1. Find how they are getting in

A mouse fits through a gap the width of a pencil. A rat needs a hole about the size of a quarter. Check garage door seals, crawlspace vents, the gaps where pipes and cables enter, and the junction between roof and wall.

2. Trap what is inside

Snap traps set along walls and travel routes are quick and leave nothing toxic behind. Use more traps than you think you need, and check them daily. Keep them out of reach of children and pets, or inside a covered station.

3. Seal the entry points

Close gaps with materials rodents cannot chew: steel mesh, metal flashing, concrete patch. Expanding foam alone will not stop a rat.

Skip step three and the problem returns. Richmond's ditches, dykes, compost bins and construction sites keep a permanent rodent population outdoors, and an open gap is an open invitation.

Our rat and mouse control page explains what a professional program involves and what local companies publish for prices.

Does this make rodent control more expensive?

Often it costs a little more at the start. The older approach was a few bait stations and a monthly refill. Trapping and sealing take more labour in the first few weeks.

The difference is that sealing addresses the cause. Bait killed the rats that found it and left the door open for the next ones.

What about farms and acreages?

Agricultural operations are among the exemptions, so the picture is different on a working farm in East Richmond. The exemption applies to the operation and comes with conditions. It does not turn a farmhouse into a free-for-all. A licensed provider can tell you what applies to your buildings.

Who to ask

The rules come from the provincial government under the Integrated Pest Management Act. For the exact wording that applies to your situation, the Province of BC is the authority.

If you would like someone to look at your home, tell us what you're seeing and we'll try to pass your request to an independent provider who covers your area and works within these rules.