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The rodent aisle looks less stocked than it did fifteen years ago, and that is deliberate. The EPA narrowed what homeowners can buy, and some states have narrowed it further. Knowing the rules explains why the box on the shelf looks the way it does, and why a professional may use something you cannot.
Key figures
- 50 feet Maximum distance from buildings on consumer product labels
- at least 16 pounds Minimum pack size for professional second-generation anticoagulants
What consumers can buy
The EPA’s restrictions are specific. Rodenticide products for the consumer market are ready-to-use bait stations that contain, or come packaged with, bait in block or paste form.
- Pelleted baits are no longer permitted in rodenticide products aimed at consumers. Loose pellets are easy for children and pets to pick up and scatter.
- Where they can go: consumer products are labeled for use indoors, or indoors and outdoors within 50 feet of buildings.
- Active ingredients: the EPA lists bromethalin, chlorophacinone and diphacinone as the permitted ingredients in consumer products.
Chlorophacinone and diphacinone are what the National Pesticide Information Center calls multiple-dose anticoagulants: an animal generally has to eat the bait several times over several days. Bromethalin is not an anticoagulant at all. NPIC explains that it stops cells in the central nervous system from producing energy, and that its main breakdown product is more toxic than bromethalin itself. Different poisons, different emergencies, which is a reason to keep the label.
What only professionals can use
The EPA says second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides are no longer registered for products geared toward consumers, and are registered only for the commercial and structural pest control markets.
These include brodifacoum, bromadiolone and difethialone. NPIC describes them as single-dose anticoagulants: more toxic, able to deliver a lethal dose in one day’s feeding, and not easily excreted, so they can be stored in the liver of the animal that ate them. To keep them out of homes, the EPA set minimum package sizes that no household would buy: at least 16 pounds of bait for products labeled for professional applicators, and at least 8 pounds for use in or near agricultural buildings. Other professional rodenticides must come in containers of at least 4 pounds.
UC IPM dates the shift: concerns about both primary and secondary poisoning led the EPA to restrict the retail sale of second-generation anticoagulants in mid-2011.
Why the rules exist
UC IPM describes two kinds of harm:
- Primary poisoning, when a pet or a child eats the bait directly. UC IPM says most fatalities in pets involve dogs, through eating the bait or a combination of bait and poisoned carcasses.
- Secondary poisoning, when a predator or scavenger eats a poisoned rodent. Because anticoagulants are cumulative and slow acting, UC IPM notes a dead rat can contain several lethal doses, so pets and wildlife that eat carcasses are at risk.
UC IPM adds that secondary poisoning risk may be lower for bromethalin than for anticoagulants, but primary poisoning of pets and wildlife that eat the bait itself remains. Bait stations reduce the first kind of harm. Only using less bait, and removing carcasses, reduces the second.
California restricts much more. UC IPM notes a current prohibition on most uses of both second- and first-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, meaning products containing bromadiolone, brodifacoum, difethialone, diphacinone, chlorophacinone and warfarin cannot be applied in most areas, with a few minor exceptions. If you live there, the consumer bait on a national retailer’s website may not be legal for you to use.
If you do use bait
- Read the label and follow it. The label is the law, and it says where the product may go and how.
- Use it only in stations, placed where children and pets cannot reach and cannot move them.
- Keep it within the labeled distance of buildings, and not in the open yard.
- Seal the house first, so you are not feeding a stream of new rodents.
- Search for and remove dead rodents promptly, wearing gloves, so predators and pets cannot eat them.
- Stop when the activity stops. Bait left out indefinitely feeds non-target animals.
- Keep the product label handy. If a pet eats bait, your veterinarian needs the active ingredient, not the brand.
When a professional uses stronger products
A licensed applicator may use second-generation products in some situations, especially in commercial and agricultural settings. You are entitled to ask what they are using, where, and why a trap program would not do. The EPA’s guidance on choosing a company says reliable applicators will provide copies of product labels showing how the product should be applied and the precautions.
For a house with a few mice, the right answer from a professional is usually sealing and traps. A service built around permanent bait boxes around the house is a service built around the second-best tool.
Related reading: Traps or Poison for Mice and Rats and How to Clean Up Mouse Droppings Safely.
Questions people ask
What rat poison can homeowners buy?
Only ready-to-use bait stations with block or paste bait, according to the EPA. The permitted active ingredients for consumer products are bromethalin, chlorophacinone and diphacinone. Loose pellets are no longer permitted for consumers.
Why can't I buy brodifacoum?
Second-generation anticoagulants such as brodifacoum, bromadiolone and difethialone are registered only for commercial and structural pest control, sold in packages of at least 16 pounds for professional applicators. The EPA restricted retail sale because of primary and secondary poisoning risks.
Is rat poison banned in California?
Most uses of both first- and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides are currently prohibited in California, with a few minor exceptions, according to UC IPM. Check current state rules before buying anything online.
What should I do if my dog eats rat poison?
Contact your veterinarian or an animal poison control line immediately and have the product packaging or label, since treatment depends on the active ingredient. Anticoagulants and bromethalin act very differently.
Where these figures come from
- Restrictions on Rodenticide Products US Environmental Protection Agency · epa.gov
- Rats Management Guidelines University of California Statewide IPM Program · ipm.ucanr.edu
- Rodenticides Topic Fact Sheet National Pesticide Information Center · npic.orst.edu
- Choosing a Pest Control Company US Environmental Protection Agency · epa.gov
- Introduction to Pesticide Labels US Environmental Protection Agency · epa.gov
Figures last checked September 2026.
