Belmont Reduces Rodenticides on Town Land

By Jeffrey North

Belmont is preparing to vote on a home rule petition at the May Town Meeting to seek local authority to regulate use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) on private property. Belmont has largely eliminated SGARs on public property, recognizing their dangers to wildlife, pets, and children. Town departments, including the Health Department, Public Works, Facilities, and Housing Authority, have adopted safer alternatives such as electric traps, carbon dioxide treatments, and snap traps. This initiative reflects Belmont’s commitment to environmentally responsible pest management and aligns with statewide efforts to curb the use of the most toxic rodenticides.

Rodenticides, particularly highly toxic SGARs, pose significant threats to wildlife, pets, and public health. These potent poisons disrupt blood clotting, resulting in prolonged internal bleeding in rodents. However, they also have unintended consequences for nontarget species. Predators such as hawks, owls, eagles, coyotes, and foxes (and their newborns) that consume poisoned rodents become poisoned themselves, leading to illness and death for entire families. These poisons also pose threats to pets and children.

We do not know how many children die from ingesting these compounds. However, according to the 2022 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, more than 8,000 rodenticide ingestions were reported in the United States, with more than half involving children younger than six. Anticoagulant rodenticides accounted for more than 3,000 of these cases. In Massachusetts, nearly 200 people were exposed to SGARs between 2021 and 2023, with almost half of them being children under the age of six. Although the full impact on human health remains uncertain, the risks are undeniable.

Vendors’ choice

While SGARs are widely used due to their cost-effectiveness, research suggests they do not provide long-term rodent control and may attract more rodents. This type of rat poison is so prevalent because it’s among the most cost-effective ways for exterminators to deal with rodents, providing the greatest amount of revenue to the vendor with less labor than other methods.

However, there is no credible research that demonstrates that SGARs are more than briefly effective at controlling rodent pests . Rats reproduce young, frequently, and year-round.  SGARs are manufactured to be tasty, so they tend to attract more rats and mice, although their first-choice dining options are always open trash containers and compost. Further, rats are developing a tolerance for SGARs after years of exposure to first-generation ARs resulted in a high tolerance and immunity to those older products.

There are several alternatives to SGARs that are just as (or more) effective at controlling rodent populations without killing hawks, foxes, and pets.

Municipal action: alternatives to poison on public property

A growing number of Massachusetts towns and cities have adopted policies to eliminate or reduce the use of SGARs on public property. Belmont is among the municipalities at the forefront of this trend, actively implementing safer pest control practices. Belmont has largely, if not entirely, removed SGARs from town property.

The Belmont Health Department has piloted the use of several Smart Boxes around town. These devices deliver electric shocks rather than poison to eliminate rats. The Health Department also offers guidance to local businesses and homeowners on rodent prevention and control.

Belmont’s Department of Public Works (DPW) does not use rodenticides. In 2017, when rats were reported at Joey’s Park near Winn Brook Elementary School, using poisons in a playground setting was deemed unwise. “The challenging thing about managing pests on a playground is there are kids on the playground,” remarked DPW Director Jason Marcotte.

Instead, the DPW partnered with Assurance Pest Solutions to implement nontoxic integrated pest management (IPM) techniques. These methods include using carbon dioxide from dry ice in burrows, garlic-based nesting deterrents, and snap traps. Bait boxes at Grove Street Park contain nontoxic, flavored bait and snap traps, posing no risk to children, pets, or groundwater.

Belmont’s Facilities Department, responsible for more than one million square feet of buildings and grounds, also avoids rodenticides. Facilities Director Dave Blazon confirmed that none of the town’s schools, police, fire stations, or administrative sites use these harmful chemicals.

The Belmont Housing Authority (BHA) provides 256 housing units in town for low-income families, veterans, older adults, and individuals with disabilities. Recognizing concerns about the impact of SGARs on wildlife and pets, the BHA has taken steps to transition toward safer pest management practices. According to Raymond Morales, district housing manager, the BHA is actively replacing SGARs with rodenticides containing Vitamin D3, which does not poison predators like owls and dogs.

Statewide movement toward safer pest management

Belmont’s shift from poisons to IPM reflects a broader trend across Massachusetts. According to Mass Audubon, groups in 84 communities with names like “Save Arlington Wildlife” have organized to minimize the use of SGARs in communities throughout the state. Many towns and cities have eliminated SGARs from municipal properties, including:

• Arlington (2022): Banned SGARs on town property.
• Brookline (2023): Adopted an internal policy prohibiting SGARs.
• Grafton (2025): Restricted SGAR use on town property.
• Lexington (2024): Passed Article 40, banning SGARs on town-owned properties.
• Newbury (2024) Select Board voted unanimously to ban the use of SGARs on town-owned property.
• Newton (2023): Voted to ban SGARs on public lands.
• Somerville (2024): The city removed SGAR bait stations from school grounds and is evaluating phasing out SGAR use on other municipal properties and demolition projects.
• Waltham (2023): Updated Conservation Commission policies to restrict SGAR use.
• Wayland (2025): Proposed a ban on SGARs on town-controlled properties.
• Lowell (2025): The City Council unanimously voted to prohibit SGARs on city-owned properties.

According to Mass Audubon, 24 towns and cities have reduced their use of SGARs on municipal properties, and 11 more were working towards this as of March 31. Mass Audubon operates an ombudsman or umbrella organization, A Campaign to Rescue Raptors, that provides resources and guidance to Massachusetts communities.

Addressing Private Property Challenges

Under Massachusetts law, municipalities cannot enforce stricter regulations than state law. Towns must file a Home Rule petition to request state permission to establish their own rules concerning restrictions on SGARs for private properties. If a Home Rule petition for rodenticide use on private property is approved, a town may create its own regulations or adopt those set by neighboring municipalities.

Raptors seek sustenance and food for their young across a wide geographic range. Eagles nesting around the Mystic Lakes regularly visited Belmont until they succumbed to lethal doses of SGARs from consuming poisoned rodents. Since November 2024, at least two hawks and two owls have died from SGAR poisoning in Belmont; however, these are only the birds found on our streets or in residents’ yards. We can assume that more have perished in Belmont’s woods and conservation lands.

Seven towns and cities have submitted petitions for home rule, seeking the authority to impose restrictions on SGARs on private property: Arlington, Brookline, Eastham, Lexington, Newbury, Newton, Orleans, Provincetown, and Wellfleet. For example, on March 26, Lexington Town Meeting voted 166 to 3 in favor of a home rule petition, paving the way for a future bylaw to restrict SGARs in their town.

At least six more towns and cities—Belmont, Concord, Grafton, Kingston, Swampscott, and Winchester—aim to pass home rule petitions this spring. Each of these towns has already adopted policies to reduce or eliminate SGAR use on town-owned lands, reflecting a broader statewide movement toward environmentally responsible pest management practices.

As more towns and cities file home rule petitions, the message is amplified to state lawmakers that broad action is ultimately required, especially as raptors, coyotes, foxes, and possums don’t stay within town boundaries.

New state law

Efforts are also underway at the state level to curb SGAR use. Recently introduced bills H.995 and S.644, titled An Act Restricting the Use of Rodenticides in the Environment, have garnered significant legislative support from 95 co-signing senators and representatives as of April 10.

A request to make our own rules

Belmont’s vote at the May Town Meeting seeks to file a Home Rule petition with the Massachusetts Legislature to let Belmont regulate SGAR use within town limits. Although the passage of this article would not immediately implement new regulations, it would pave the way for future Town Meeting action to protect wildlife and public health.

Belmont’s proactive approach underscores the town’s commitment to sustainable and environmentally responsible pest management. By adopting non-toxic alternatives and advocating for legislative change, Belmont joins other concerned communities in eliminating harmful chemicals that threaten wildlife, pets, and humans.

To listen and read more on this topic:

See WBUR’s To protect wildlife, advocates look to reduce rat poison use in Mass.

See Mass Audubon’s Campaign to Rescue Raptors.

Watch the Campaign video on YouTube.

And please join Save Belmont Wildlife on Facebook.

The Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter has published many articles on the dangers and deaths from SGARs; all are available on our website, www.belmontcitizensforum.org.

Jeffrey North is the managing editor of the Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter and a Precinct 1 Town Meeting member.