Integrated pest management in NYC, or IPM, means finding out why pests are there and fixing that first: sealing the gaps they use, taking away their food and water, and treating only where they actually live, with the lowest-risk product that works. The EPA calls IPM an effective and environmentally sensitive approach, and says broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last resort.
For many New York City buildings, IPM isn’t optional. Local Law 55 requires owners of buildings with three or more apartments to use it, and the city’s Health Code has an IPM section that every restaurant has to follow. A building that sprays the same apartments every month without fixing the leak or the gap behind the stove is paying for the same problem over and over.
How IPM works, step by step
The EPA and Cornell IPM, the New York State IPM program at Cornell, word the steps a little differently. Put together, they come down to this order:
- Identify the pest. A German cockroach, a house mouse and a pantry moth live in different places and eat different things, so the fix is different too.
- Inspect and monitor. Find where the pests live, how they get in and how many there are, using monitoring traps as well as a flashlight.
- Decide when to act. The EPA calls this an action threshold: the point where pests become a problem worth treating. In a kitchen or a bedroom, that point comes fast.
- Prevent. Seal cracks and holes, fix leaks, store food and trash so pests can’t reach it, and cut clutter.
- Treat where it’s needed. Use the least risky option that works, placed where the pests live. NYC Health’s guide for building owners says IPM uses the least toxic chemicals, applied in the safest manner.
- Check the results. Follow up, see what changed, and adjust the plan.
What IPM looks like in an NYC apartment
Here’s a simple example. Say a tenant in a Bronx walk-up has roaches under the kitchen sink. The old approach is a spray along the baseboards every month. The IPM approach starts with a look under the sink, where the roaches are coming through the gap around the pipes and living on the water from a slow drip. Seal the gap, fix the drip, clean the grease behind the stove, and treat the cracks where the roaches hide. Now they have less to live on and no easy way back in from next door.
Our advice: if a company only ever sprays the baseboards and leaves, ask what it’s doing about how the pests get in.
The benefits of integrated pest management
- Less pesticide in your home. The EPA notes that pesticides break down more slowly indoors than outdoors, so using less, and only where it’s needed, matters more inside.
- Results that last longer. NYC Health describes IPM as prevention-based pest control that lasts, because it fixes the conditions pests need.
- Fewer pests moving next door. Spraying can push roaches into neighboring apartments through pipe openings and shared walls, according to Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Sealing those openings works the other way.
- It follows NYC rules. Building owners and restaurants are already required to work this way.
Here’s the trade-off. IPM takes more work at the start. Sealing gaps, fixing leaks and changing how trash is stored take time and sometimes money, and some of that is the building’s job, not the exterminator’s. The first visit is also about finding the cause, so the problem may take more than one visit to clear. A spray-only visit is faster, but it doesn’t change why the pests came.
The NYC rules that call for IPM
- Apartment buildings. Under Local Law 55 of 2018, owners of buildings with three or more apartments must use IPM, inspect apartments every year for pests, and have pesticides applied by a professional licensed by the New York State DEC, according to HPD.
- Restaurants and food businesses. Section 81.23 of the NYC Health Code, titled “Integrated pest management,” requires daily checks for pests and a contract with a DEC-licensed pest professional. Read more in our guide to restaurant pest control in NYC.
- City property. Local Law 37 of 2005 set out to reduce pesticide use by city agencies, and Local Law 56 of 2021 bars city agencies from using pesticides other than biological ones in parks and playgrounds, with some exceptions.
- Who can apply pesticides. In New York State, anyone who applies pesticides commercially needs DEC certification.
What tenants can do
NYC Health asks tenants to take away what pests need: keep food in sealed containers, take out the trash, and report leaks and holes to the landlord. It also warns never to use foggers, bombs or illegal pesticides such as roach chalk or Tres Pasitos. If you rent, tell your landlord or managing agent about pests. In New York City, building owners are responsible for keeping apartments free of pests.
How NYC Extermination uses IPM
Every plan we make follows Integrated Pest Management. We start with a free on-site inspection to find the pest, where it’s coming from and how far it has spread. Then we seal entry points where needed, tell you what to change, and treat only where pests live, with EPA-registered products. Before any treatment we ask about children, pets, health and allergy concerns and plan around them. For buildings, we look at the apartments with activity, the units around them and the common areas.
See our residential pest control, pest control for apartment buildings and commercial pest control, or call (347) 988-2315.
Frequently asked questions
Is integrated pest management safe for kids and pets?
It’s built to use less pesticide, placed only where pests live, which means less exposure. The EPA advises keeping children and pets out of treated areas until sprays dry. Tell the company about allergies or health concerns before any treatment. We ask about them first.
Does IPM mean no pesticides at all?
No. IPM uses pesticides when monitoring shows they’re needed, and picks the least risky option that works. Most of the work is prevention, so over time less treatment is needed.
Is my landlord required to use IPM?
If your building has three or more apartments, yes. Local Law 55 requires owners to fix pest problems using IPM and to inspect apartments every year. Report pests and leaks to your landlord, and call 311 if nothing is done.
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