NYC Mayor Establishes Office of Rodent Mitigation

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday signed an executive order creating the city’s first Mayor’s Office of Rodent Mitigation, formalizing a centralized approach to combating rats as part of his administration’s ongoing “War on Rats.”

The new office will coordinate rodent-control efforts across city agencies, community groups and the private sector, operating under a mayor-appointed director known as the city’s “rat czar.” The move makes permanent a strategy Adams began early in his term, which has focused heavily on trash containerization, enforcement and public education.

“New Yorkers know there is nothing I dislike more than rats,” Adams said in a statement. “This executive order ensures our War on Rats has a permanent home and that the policies we’ve put in place continue to make our city more livable.”

The office will provide expert guidance, oversee interagency initiatives and work with residents, researchers and pest-control professionals to reduce rodent populations across the five boroughs. City agencies will support the effort through integrated pest management on public property, strengthened contracts and improved oversight.

According to the city’s 2025 Mayor’s Management Report, rat-related indicators have improved. Initial inspections showing active rat signs fell to 19.7% in fiscal year 2025, a five-year low. At New York City Housing Authority properties, response times to rat and other pest complaints also improved significantly.

The new office builds on a series of initiatives launched under Adams’ “Trash Revolution,” which aimed to reduce street trash that attracts rodents. The administration changed garbage set-out times, expanded containerization requirements citywide and adjusted sanitation pickup schedules to limit the amount of trash left on sidewalks overnight.

Key milestones include the appointment of the city’s first rat czar in 2023, mandatory containerization for food-related businesses that same year, expanded container rules for all businesses in 2024, and requirements for low-density residential buildings that now cover about 70% of the city’s trash. The city has also launched volunteer cleanup programs and a new team focused on rat infestations in street tree beds.

City officials say the Office of Rodent Mitigation will help sustain progress by aligning policies, coordinating enforcement and leading public outreach aimed at long-term rodent reduction.

Source: NYC.gov