Metropolis Council Member Susan Zhuang has launched laws geared toward expediting pest inspections following 311 complaints, calling for elevated transparency and accountability within the metropolis’s response to infestations.
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Metropolis Council Member Susan Zhuang launched laws Wednesday that might require the Division of Well being and Psychological Hygiene (DOHMH) to examine buildings inside 10 days of a 311 grievance associated to rats, mice or different pests.
The invoice, Intro 1217, goals to enhance transparency and accountability within the metropolis’s response to pest-related complaints by making certain well timed inspections and making findings publicly accessible on-line.
Zhuang, who represents neighborhoods together with Sundown Park, Dyker Heights, and Bensonhurst, stated her workplace receives each day complaints about infestations.
“Our residents call 311 but never hear anything back,” Zhuang stated through the March 12 Metropolis Council assembly. “People deserve to know what happens and what DOH has done within 10 days.”
If enacted, the laws would mandate that DOHMH publish inspection information on-line, together with particulars about constructing situations and inspectors’ observations. The general public would then be capable to monitor pest points of their neighborhoods in real-time.
“New Yorkers are tired of living alongside rats and other pests,” Zhuang stated in a press release. “This bill not only speeds up inspections but also makes the process more transparent.”
She emphasised that pest infestations pose a public well being threat and that better visibility into town’s response would enable residents and businesses to deal with drawback areas extra successfully.
“Pest infestations aren’t just a nuisance — they’re a public health risk,” she added. “This bill ensures we’re holding the city accountable, addressing complaints quickly, and providing communities with the information they need to stay informed.”
A DOHMH consultant declined to touch upon the pending laws and emphasised the Adams administration’s ongoing efforts to fight rodent infestations via a complete pest administration technique.
Key initiatives enacted by the administration to this point embrace the appointment of a citywide director of rodent mitigation, often known as the “rat czar,” who oversees a multi-agency activity pressure centered on enhancing pest management, schooling, and enforcement. The administration has additionally launched Rat Mitigation Zones, elevated inspections, and expanded public engagement applications corresponding to Rat Academy workshops and “Rat Walks” to coach residents on rodent habits.
Moreover, town’s push to containerize waste — requiring 70% of all trash to be saved in bins — has proven early success. Information from 311 studies point out a downward pattern in rat sightings, with complaints dropping 5% citywide and 15% in Rat Mitigation Zones from 2022 to 2024. Within the first two months of the brand new trash bin rules, rat sightings dropped over 20% year-over-year, per the DOHMH.
The town company additionally famous that its newest efficiency report confirmed a rise in pest management inspections, a decline in rat exercise, and quicker response instances to rodent complaints in comparison with the earlier yr.
Nevertheless, regardless of the city-wide downturn in studies, 311 complaints in Brooklyn have remained at across the similar stage. In 2024, town obtained over 15,099 rodent complaints within the borough, 15,762 in 2023, and 15,034 in 2022, in line with public knowledge.
In Zhuang’s district to this point this yr, 95 complaints have been lodged within the space overlaying Group Board 7, 69 in CB10, 55 in CB11, 49 in CB12, 37 in CB13, and 33 in CB15.
