Columbus, OH · Issue Report

Rats & mice in Columbus

The read computed from 3,064 reports · JAN 2025 – JUN 2026

Columbus logged about 3,100 rat and mouse reports in the last 18 months. That is about one of every 20 complaints filed with code enforcement. Nearly every one is scored severe or critical. Inspectors treat these as habitability problems, not nuisances. Reports are increasing, with 2026 so far running about 35% ahead of the same months last year. Rat and mouse reports peak in July at about one and a half times the volume of a typical month. No neighborhood is spared, but rates run highest in Wake Robin and Hayden Run / Scioto Darby.

1 in 20
share of all reports
3,064 reports on file
Increasing
2026 vs same months 2025
+36% so far this year
July
peak reporting month
about 1.6× a typical month
Renting or buying

Renting or about to?

Rat reports come from every part of Columbus, so the neighborhood average will not protect you. Check the specific address and the block around it.

Ask the landlord when the building was last treated and how trash is stored. Piled trash is the attractant inspectors cite most.

Check an address on the live map →
Right now

Dealing with it right now?

Report it to 311 by phone, app, or columbus.gov. Include the address and where you see activity. Photograph droppings or burrows before you clean anything.

In most rentals the landlord is responsible for treating an infestation. A 311 report creates the paper trail and becomes part of the public record you are reading now.

Owners

Landlord or property manager?

Scheduled pest treatment and sealed trash storage prevent the reports that recur most. Rodent complaints that reach 311 stay on the public record.

When it gets reported

Share of the year's reports landing in each month, corrected for how many times each month appears in the data window.
January · 5% of the year's reportsJFebruary · 5% of the year's reportsFMarch · 7% of the year's reportsMApril · 8% of the year's reportsAMay · 13% of the year's reportsMJune · 13% of the year's reportsJJuly · 13% of the year's reportsJAugust · 12% of the year's reportsASeptember · 9% of the year's reportsSOctober · 7% of the year's reportsONovember · 4% of the year's reportsNDecember · 5% of the year's reportsD

Reports peak in July at about one and a half times the volume of a typical month. The quietest month is November. A quiet autumn does not mean the problem went away. Reporting drops citywide in cold months.

All rat and mouse reports by month latest month: 310
310 JAN '25 JUN '26

Where it's most reported

Neighborhoods ranked by rate, meaning each category's share of the neighborhood's reports against its citywide share, so big neighborhoods don't win just for being big. Only rates with enough reports behind them are listed.
#1Wake Robin1.9×72 reports #2Hayden Run / Scioto Darby1.7×43 reports #3North Linden1.5×184 reports

For contrast, rates run lowest in OSU / University District among the busiest areas.

Low Moderate Severe Critical
Open the live map filtered to rats & mice →
Each dot is one report, colored by severity. This embed shows 3,000 of the 3,064 reports, keeping every severe and critical one. The live map adds search, filters, and the Block Report.

Often reported with

What else shows up at the same addresses. Address-level comparison, so this reads as a building-quality signal, not a coincidence of one phone call.
Raccoons & wildlifeAddresses with rat and mouse reports are about six times as likely to also have wildlife reports on file.→ Sewage backupsAddresses with rat and mouse reports are about twice as likely to also have sewage reports on file.→ Landlord & management negligenceAddresses with rat and mouse reports are about twice as likely to also have landlord negligence reports on file.→ Smoke detectors & fire hazardsAddresses with rat and mouse reports are about twice as likely to also have fire safety reports on file.→

What people describe

The words that come up most in these reports, from the complaint narratives. Counts are reports mentioning each phrase.
rats1,116 rodents1,009 mice633 infestation447 trash1,090 issue585 causing394 attracting242

Common questions

How do I report rats and mice in Columbus?

Call 311, use the Columbus 311 app, or file at columbus.gov. Give the address and describe where you see rats, droppings, or burrows. In a rental, the landlord is usually responsible for treatment, and the report puts the problem on the city record either way.

Are rat and mouse reports in Columbus going up?

Yes. Rat and mouse reports so far this year are running about 36% ahead of the same months last year.

Where are rat and mouse reports most common in Columbus?

Rates run highest in Wake Robin, Hayden Run / Scioto Darby and North Linden, comparing each neighborhood's share of reports against the citywide share. No neighborhood is entirely without them.

Who is responsible for fixing rats and mice?

In most Columbus rentals the landlord is responsible for treating a rodent infestation. Code enforcement treats infestations as habitability problems. Owners of houses handle their own treatment, but trash conditions that attract rats are enforceable at any property.

Looking at a specific address?

Get the full Block Report, covering what's been reported at that exact address, the same building, and chronic neighbors within a third of a mile.

Search an address →
Source & method

What counts here. Reports that describe rats, mice, or rodent activity, from a sighting to an active infestation.

Data comes from official City of Columbus code enforcement records (Accela portal + ArcGIS REST API). Reports are categorized by keyword matching on complaint narratives and city record types, so counts are reports filed, not verified conditions, and automated matching can misfile individual records. The data window covers JAN 2025 – JUN 2026, so month-of-year patterns will sharpen as full years accrue.