Skokie continues to lower rat population but falls short of ambitious March 1 goal

Last fall, Mike Charley, the director of Skokie’s Department of Health and Human Services, stood before the Village Board and outlined an ambitious goal for the village. 

After the village saw an all-time high of reports of rats in 2024, he wanted Skokie to become as close to rat-free as possible by March 1, 2026. 

Now, with that deadline crossed, Charley updated The Record on how Skokie has made measurable progress toward curbing its rat population but is not yet rat free. 

After conducting an initial survey on properties where there have been reports of rats, village environmental control officers refer the properties to Platinum Pest Solutions, Skokie’s pest control contractor, for further mitigation efforts. 

This week, the contractor was handling 127 active cases of rats, Charley said. That is a 37% decrease from the 203 cases the contractor was handling this same week in February 2025, and a 70% drop from the 428 active cases the contractor had this week in February 2024, according to data provided by the Village of Skokie.

The contractor is also handling a 26% drop in cases compared to Jan. 19, 2026, alone, Charley said. Rat activity tends to slow during winter months and rebound in warmer ones, but he said there’s been an aggregate downtrend over the past two years. 

“We prioritize rat control here at the village,” Charley said. “It’s important to our residents, to our business community, and for that reason we’re using all the tools in our toolbox and data to reduce the number of rats and hopefully we can continue to move in that direction.”

Skokie started measuring a steady increase in reports of rats in 2020 and hit a peak of 431 weekly reports in February 2024 — a surge that reportedly was in line with nearby municipalities’ experiences. 

The village acquired a new pest control contractor that year, banned residents from raising chickens or owning platform bird feeders, and started focusing on village rat “hot spots” and public education initiatives, The Record previously reported. 

Charley said there are “layers” that help explain the sustained decrease in reported rats in the village, especially as his environmental health division collaborates with Skokie Public Works Department and the Community Development Department’s property standards division. 

The departments have worked to reduce duplication and curb rat activity by targeting the underlying environmental factors in which they thrive, Charley said. 

The director also said Platinum Pest Solutions has been employing “innovative tactics,” like using smoke treatment on active burrows, sealing burrows during the cold months when rats are less active, and putting baits in the hot zones, many of which are along Skokie Boulevard.

He ultimately emphasized that cooperation with residents is crucial.

“We really want people to notify us if they see them,” he said. “The residents are our eyes and our ears. You know we can’t always be everywhere in the village, it really helps if they notify us because we’re able to then focus our attention not only on their property but the surrounding properties.”

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