The rat bait rules have changed — here's what Surry Hills pet owners need to know this winter.

A Major Rule Change, Right Now

On 26 March 2026, Australia's pesticide regulator (the APVMA) suspended the sale of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides — SGARs — to the general public. Products containing brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, difethialone, or flocoumafen are now restricted to licensed pest controllers only.

• Bunnings, Woolworths, Coles, Mitre 10, and IGA are all required to remove these products from shelves
• The ban was driven by harm to native wildlife — but the risk to pets has always been just as real
• Products already purchased and sitting in homes and sheds can still be legally used throughout 2026

Why Surry Hills Is Higher Risk Than Most Areas

Autumn rodent pressure is a Sydney-wide issue, but the inner city is in a different category:

• Crown Street, Bourke Street, and Cleveland Street are among Sydney's busiest dining strips — dozens of restaurants generating food waste around the clock create ideal conditions for large rat populations
• The laneways behind them — Wunderlich Lane and the back-of-house service areas running parallel to the main strips — are sheltered, food-rich environments that rats colonise in high numbers
• Once established, rodents move through shared walls, roof voids, and subfloors into the surrounding terrace houses and apartment buildings across Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, and Redfern
• High-density housing means a rodent problem in one building quickly spreads to the entire block

The Council's Own Baiting Program Is Active in Your Parks

The City of Sydney runs an active rodent control program across public spaces, using tamper-resistant SMART bait stations in parks throughout the LGA — including in Surry Hills.

This matters for dog owners specifically:

• Parks including Prince Alfred Park, Ward Park, Harmony Park, and others across the area fall under this program
• The bait stations are designed to prevent direct access by pets — but a rat that has consumed bait can wander, die, and be found by a curious dog before the toxin takes effect
• This is called secondary poisoning, and it's a documented risk

The council's rat program in this area has direct history with pet health. In 2019, Ward Park — next to the Northcott Housing Estate on Bourke Street — was identified as a hotspot in the inner-city Leptospirosis outbreak that killed several dogs. The council responded by offering free Leptospirosis vaccinations to dogs from the estate. The rodent pressure that drove that outbreak hasn't gone away.

With rat activity peaking this autumn across Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, and Redfern, Leptospirosis vaccination is worth discussing at your next visit to Vets on Crown. particularly if your dog walks in parks or drinks from puddles. Learn more about Leptospirosis here.