The California Rodenticides Ban: What You Need To Know About Using Rat Poison
Update: California AB-1788 was signed September 29, 2020, creating a statewide moratorium on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) with defined exemptions while DPR completes a reevaluation. Since then, California has tightened rules further — see “What Is the Law?” below for the current status.
Find out what you need to know about California’s rodenticide restrictions (AB 1788 and subsequent updates), including the bill status for AB-1788 from the California Legislative Information website.
How will it impact your community? Why are rodenticides so dangerous? What are the exact laws? What states will follow suit? We cover it all in our quick rundown on the legislature.
- 9/29/2020: Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Protecting Wild Animals from Super-toxic Rat Poisons – Center for Biological Diversity
- Guidance: DPR media update on SGAR moratorium & reevaluation – California DPR
- 9/25/2024: AB-2552 chaptered (Ch. 571, 2024) – expands restrictions to certain first-generation anticoagulants
- Industry summary: California passes another rodenticide ban – Pest Management Professional
What Are Rodenticides?
Rodenticides are pesticides designed to kill rodents. But because rodents are mammals, these poisons also pose risks to other mammals (wildlife, pets, people) and to birds of prey through secondary poisoning.
How Are Rodenticides Classified?
They are generally anticoagulant or non-anticoagulant. Anticoagulants prevent blood from clotting, leading to internal bleeding. Non-anticoagulants have other toxic modes of action (varies by active ingredient).
Anticoagulants are split into:
- First-generation (FGARs): typically require multipl