MAYOR ADAMS SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ESTABLISHING OFFICE OF RODENT MITIGATION

 

New Mayoral Office to Streamline Coordination Across City Agencies, Community Organizations, and Private Sector in Service of Reducing New York City’s Rodent Population 

 

Adams Administration’s Efforts Have Resulted in 12-Months of Rat Sighting Declines 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today signed Executive Order No. 63 to establish the first-ever Mayor’s Office of Rodent Mitigation, which will streamline coordination across city government agencies, community organizations, and the private sector to continue Mayor Adams’ “War on Rats.” This new mayoral office builds on the Adams administration’s commitment to improving the quality of life for New Yorkers and the unprecedented focus on rodent mitigation over the last four years, including by appointing the first citywide director of rodent mitigation — informally known as the “rat czar” — and by launching numerous programs at the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) as part of the “Trash Revolution.” 

“New Yorkers know there is nothing I dislike more than rats, and that’s why we have made it our mission to significantly address this intractable problem that has plagued New Yorkers for decades,” said Mayor Adams. “With this new executive order establishing the Office of Rodent Mitigation, we are ensuring our ‘War on Rats,’ and the smart policies we put in place to coordinate across city agencies, has a permanent home. Thanks to our efforts, we have revolutionized how we approach trash in our city by containerizing 70 percent of the city’s garbage, recruited the public in our ‘War on Rats,’ and decreased rat sightings for 12 months in a row. I am proud of our legacy on a major quality-of-life, public-safety, and public-health issue, and am excited to see this work continue to make our city more livable for all.”  

Under the leadership of a mayor-appointed “rat czar,” the office will provide expert recommendations, coordinate interagency initiatives, and work closely with residents, community organizations, academic partners, and pest management professionals to continue to bring the rodent population down across the five boroughs. City agencies will support the office’s mission by executing integrated pest management on city properties, closing operational gaps that contribute to infestations, and strengthening pest control contracts and oversight. This coordinated structure ensures greater accountability and sustained progress toward a cleaner, more welcoming New York City. 

That Adams administration’s commitment to rodent mitigation work has produced positive results through decreased rat sightings consistently over the past 12 months, cleaner public spaces, enhanced enforcement, greater community education, and integrated pest management strategies — such as mandatory trash containerization with the new Empire Bins. The Office of Rodent Mitigation will coordinate citywide strategies, align policies across agencies, and lead public outreach and education efforts to support long-term rodent reduction. According to the 2025 Mayor’s Management Report, in Fiscal Year 2025, initial inspections with active rat signs are at a five-year low, at 19.7 percent, reflecting efforts are working, such as citywide waste containerization and public education efforts. Response to rat and other pest complaints have improved at New York City Housing Authority properties as well, as the percent of rat complaints responded to within two days and within five days have increased by 17 and 13 points, respectively. Other pest complaints responded to within seven days and within 10 days have increased by 44 and 40 points, respectively. 

 

Today’s announcement reinforces Mayor Adams’ commitment to a cleaner, more affordable city through unprecedented investments in quality of life, including rodent mitigation and trash containerization: 

 

• In October 2022, the Adams administration kicked off the Trash Revolution by changing set-out times for both residential and commercial waste from 4:00 PM — one of the earliest set-out times in the country — to 8:00 PM beginning in April 2023, while also allowing earlier set-out if the material is in a container. This incentivization of containerization was paired with major changes to DSNY operations, picking up well over a quarter of all trash at 12:00 AM rather than at 6:00 AM, particularly in high density parts of the city, and ending a practice by which up to one-fifth of trash had been purposefully left out for a full day. 

• In April 2023, Mayor Adams appointed the first-ever citywide director of rodent mitigation, also known as the “rat czar,” to lead citywide rat mitigation efforts by working with DSNY, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and other city agencies, contributing to a 12-month reduction in active rat sightings in mitigation zones. 

• In July 2023, containerization requirements went into effect for all food-related businesses in New York City. These businesses — restaurants, delis, bodegas, bars, grocery stores, caterers, and more — produce an outsized amount of the type of trash that attracts rats.   

• In March 2024, container requirements went into effect for all businesses — of every type — in New York City to get their trash off the streets and into a secure bin.   

• In July 2024 Mayor Adams and the former director of rodent mitigation announced the “NYC Rat Pack,” a volunteer initiative to help everyday New Yorkers to learn about, engage on, and take action against New York’s rodent issue through rat walks and community cleanups.  

• In November 2024, container requirements went into effect for low-density residential buildings — those with one to nine units — containerizing approximately 70 percent of all trash in the city. 

• In June 2025 Mayor Adams announced the launch of a new team to tackle rat populations in 600,000 street tree beds citywide