What the APVMA rodenticide suspension actually requires on your site, what it does not require, and the questions worth asking your current pest contractor.
Rodent bait has not been banned. On 24 March 2026 the APVMA suspended the registration of every product containing a second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR) for a period of one year. These products can still be used, but only under a deemed permit whose instructions replace the directions printed on the label wherever the two conflict.
For a commercial site, that permit means bait must sit in tamper-resistant stations, outdoor mouse baiting stops entirely, stations cannot be more than 2 metres from a building, bait cannot go into burrows, dead rodents must be searched for and removed at every visit, and the program must be formally evaluated at least every 35 days.
All other poisons / baits that do not contain a second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR) remain unchanged. Refer to label instructions for these guidelines.
These come straight from the instructions published in the APVMA Gazette on 10 March 2026. Where they conflict with the product label, the instructions win.
| Area | What the permit requires | What that looks like on your site |
|---|---|---|
| Bait security | No bait in areas accessible to non-target animals, pets or children unless it is secured in a tamper-resistant bait station. Outdoors, stations must also be weather-resistant and secured in place. | Loose bait, trays and open throw packs come off the site. Every station in an accessible area is a proper lockable unit, and outdoor stations are physically fixed down rather than tucked behind a bin. |
| Mice, outdoors | Bait stations must not be placed outdoors for the control of mice. | Outdoor mouse baiting stops completely. Mice are managed indoors, with proofing and hygiene doing the work that perimeter bait used to do. |
| Distance from buildings | Bait stations must not be placed more than 2 metres from buildings. | Fence lines, car park perimeters, landscaped areas and open ground come off the baiting plan. Stations move in tight to the structure, and your site map needs redrawing to match. |
| Burrows | The product must not be applied directly into burrows. | Burrow baiting stops. Active burrows are dealt with through compliant stations nearby, proofing and removing what is drawing rats in, rather than by treating the burrow itself. |
| Program duration | The product must not be used continuously for more than 35 days without an evaluation of the state of the infestation and of the efficacy of the treatment. | Set-and-forget baiting is finished. Every program needs a documented assessment inside 35 days covering what the activity is doing and whether the treatment is working. |
| Carcasses | Dead rodents and slugs or snails must be searched for and disposed of in the infested area at each visit to prevent secondary poisoning. Gloves are required for handling and cleanup. | A carcass search is now part of every service visit, not something done when someone reports a smell, and it should be showing up on your service docket. |
This is the change most likely to be misquoted to you, because the misquote sells more visits.
You may be told that the new rules mean your building must move to a monthly pest control cycle. That is not what the instrument says. The actual requirement is that an SGAR product must not be used continuously for more than 35 days without an evaluation of the infestation and of how well the treatment is working.
An evaluation is not the same thing as a full service visit, and the rule bites only where bait is being used continuously. Plenty of sites will genuinely need more frequent attendance once a rodent program is running, and we will tell you when yours is one of them. But that is an operational judgement about your building, not a legal obligation, and the two should never be presented to you as the same thing.
If a contractor quotes you a price increase and calls it compliance, ask them to point to the clause. It is a fair question and it should have a straight answer.
The rules are national and apply to every commercial site using these products. What changes in practice depends on what your building is and where the bait was sitting.
Perimeter and garden baiting is the big one. Bait in landscaped areas, along fence lines or in basement car park corners more than 2 metres from the structure has to be relocated, and committees should expect an updated station map.
Strata pest controlAuditors will look for the new records. Your pest file needs the updated station plan, evidence of evaluations inside 35 days and carcass checks logged per visit, or you are explaining a gap during an audit.
Hospitality pest controlLarge yards are where the 2 metre rule hurts most. Wide external station networks across hardstand and boundaries have to be pulled in to the buildings, which changes how the perimeter is protected.
Warehouse pest controlIf you manage multiple buildings, the risk is inconsistency. Different contractors will interpret the changes differently, so it is worth confirming that every site in the portfolio has been reassessed on the same basis.
Commercial pest controlYou do not need to change providers to use this. Run these questions past whoever services your site and you will know very quickly whether your program has actually been updated.
The APVMA has certified that these products should become restricted chemical products, which would eventually limit them to licensed and authorised users. That is the first step in a longer process. It still needs to be accepted federally, and then each state and territory has to build the licensing framework. The APVMA has said a firm timeline is not yet available.
In the meantime, the APVMA is explicit: there are no changes to the training required to use these products at this time. If you are told your contractor needed a new qualification as of March 2026, that is not correct.
This is an interim measure, not a settled position. Three things are still open, and all of them could change what your site has to do.
Already managing rodent programs for
No. The APVMA has suspended the registration of products containing second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides for one year from 24 March 2026, which is different from a ban. The products can still be supplied and used, but only under a deemed permit whose instructions replace the label directions wherever the two conflict. Those instructions are enforceable under state and territory law and apply nationally, so treating them as optional is a genuine legal risk rather than a technicality.
No. The requirement is that the product must not be used continuously for more than 35 days without an evaluation of the state of the infestation and of the efficacy of the treatment. Nothing in the instrument requires a monthly service cycle. Some sites will need more frequent attendance once a rodent program is running and that is a legitimate recommendation, but it is an operational judgement about your building rather than a legal obligation. If a contractor is increasing your service frequency and describing it as compliance, it is reasonable to ask them which clause requires it.
It requires that a baiting program is not simply left running. Within 35 days of continuous use, someone has to assess what the rodent activity is doing and whether the treatment is working, and that assessment needs to be recorded. In practice this means the days of topping up stations on a schedule and never reviewing the result are over. For most commercial sites the sensible approach is to make the evaluation a documented part of the service report so the record exists if an auditor, insurer or committee asks for it.
For rats, yes, but with two hard limits. The bait has to be in a tamper-resistant and weather-resistant station that is secured in place, and no station can be more than 2 metres from a building. For mice the answer is no, because bait stations must not be placed outdoors for the control of mice at all. Bait also cannot be applied directly into burrows. In practice this means wide perimeter networks along fence lines, car parks and open ground have to be pulled in tight to the buildings.
Not at this stage. The APVMA has certified that these products should be declared restricted chemical products, which would eventually limit them to licensed and authorised users, but that still requires federal acceptance and then a licensing framework in each state and territory. The APVMA has said a firm timeline is not yet available and has stated plainly that there are no changes to the training required to use these products at this time. Any claim that qualifications changed in March 2026 is incorrect.
Keep a current site map showing every bait station and its distance from the building, evidence that evaluations are happening inside 35 days, and service dockets that record the carcass search at each visit. Safety data sheets for the products used should also be on file. PestOz provides electronic reporting and safety data sheets after every service, so for our clients the record is in the inbox before anyone asks for it. If your current file cannot answer those three things, that is the gap worth closing first.
Yes. The instructions apply nationally to the use of these products, so common property rodent programs are covered in the same way as any other commercial site. The practical impact on strata tends to be larger than people expect, because bait in garden beds, along fence lines, in bin areas and around basement entries is often more than 2 metres from the building and has to be relocated. Committees should ask their contractor for an updated station map rather than assuming the existing program still complies.
That is not settled yet. The suspension was made for a period of one year from 24 March 2026 as an interim measure while the APVMA completes a wider reconsideration of all anticoagulant rodenticides, including first-generation products. That wider review has proposed further restrictions and the cancellation of some products, and its final decision has not been published. The realistic planning assumption is that some form of restriction continues rather than everything reverting, and we update this page as decisions land.
This page is general information for property owners and managers, not legal advice. For how the rules apply to a specific site, talk to us or check the APVMA material directly.
We will walk your site, check the station network against the current rules, update the map and tell you honestly whether your service frequency needs to change. No call-out charge.
