# Pest control log template: sightings, service visits and IPM for a small restaurant

*Guides · Mays Team · October 16, 2026*

![The Task Types page in Mays listing four custom forms, Pest sighting and Pest control service visit among them, each with its description and version](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/blog__pest-control-log-template__cover.839711b14b.png)

A single mouse dropping behind the dry storage shelf is a fix-it-today problem. The same dropping, found by an inspector, with no record that anyone noticed, called anyone or did anything, is a violation and a bad morning. A pest control log is how you show that you look, that you act, and that a professional is involved.

This post covers the integrated pest management (IPM) approach the EPA describes, what the FDA Food Code expects, what to record, and how to work with a licensed pest control operator. It ends with a log you can copy.

*This is general information, not legal or pest control advice. Pesticides are applied by a licensed professional, following the product label and your state's rules.*

## IPM in a restaurant: look first, spray last

The EPA describes [integrated pest management](https://www.epa.gov/ipm/introduction-integrated-pest-management) as *"an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices."* It's *"not a single pest control method but, rather, a series of pest management evaluations, decisions and controls"*, built on four steps. Here's what they look like in a kitchen:

| EPA step | In a restaurant |
| --- | --- |
| **Set action thresholds** | Decide in advance what triggers a call: for most kitchens, any rodent sign or any live cockroach means calling your pest control company the same day. |
| **Monitor and identify pests** | Glue boards or monitoring stations placed by your operator, checked on a schedule; every sighting written down with where and when. |
| **Prevention** | Seal gaps, fix door sweeps and screens, keep food covered and off the floor, clean under equipment, empty trash, fix leaks. |
| **Control** | Traps, baits in tamper-resistant stations and targeted treatments, applied by your licensed operator. The EPA's page says *"Broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last resort."* |

Most of the work is prevention, and most of prevention is cleaning and maintenance that's already on your [cleaning schedule](https://www.mays.app/blog/restaurant-cleaning-schedule-template).

## What the Food Code expects

Section numbers are from the [2022 FDA Food Code](https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-food-code/food-code-2022). The FDA has since published a [2026 edition](https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-food-code/food-code-2026); the rules quoted here haven't changed in substance in it.

- **Keep pests out, and look for them.** *"The PREMISES shall be maintained free of insects, rodents, and other pests."* That's done by *"Routinely inspecting incoming shipments of FOOD and supplies"*, *"Routinely inspecting the PREMISES for evidence of pests"*, using trapping devices or other methods if pests are found, and *"Eliminating harborage conditions"* (§6-501.111).
- **Remove what you catch.** *"Dead or trapped birds, insects, rodents, and other pests shall be removed from control devices and the PREMISES at a frequency that prevents their accumulation, decomposition, or the attraction of pests"* (§6-501.112).
- **Close the openings.** Outer openings are protected by *"Filling or closing holes and other gaps along floors, walls, and ceilings"*, closed, tight-fitting windows, and *"Solid, self-closing, tight-fitting doors"* (§6-202.15(A)).
- **Bug zappers go where they can't drop insects on food.** They're installed so that *"The devices are not located over a FOOD preparation area"* (§6-202.13(B)(1)).
- **Bait goes in a station.** *"Rodent bait shall be contained in a covered, tamper-resistant bait station"* (§7-206.12).
- **Pesticides follow the label, and the pros apply the strong ones.** A pesticide is used according to the *"manufacturer's label instructions that state that use is allowed in a FOOD ESTABLISHMENT"*, food and equipment are protected during application (removed or covered, then cleaned and sanitized afterwards), and *"A restricted USE PESTICIDE shall be applied only by an applicator certified"* under federal law, or someone under their direct supervision (§7-202.12).
- **Your operator follows your rules in the kitchen.** The person in charge ensures that people *"such as delivery and maintenance PERSONS and pesticide applicators"* entering food areas comply with the Food Code (§2-103.11(C)).

The EPA adds that restricted use pesticides *"may be bought and applied only by a certified applicator or someone working under his or her direct supervision"* and *"are not available for purchase or use by the general public"* ([EPA, certification of pesticide applicators](https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/certification-standards-pesticide-applicators)). Leave the treatments to your operator and keep store-bought sprays out of the kitchen.

## Choosing a pest control company

The EPA's [Citizen's Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety](https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/citizens-guide-pest-control-and-pesticide-safety) is written for homes, but its questions work for a restaurant too:

- **Is the company licensed?** *"Most state or local agencies issue state pest control licenses. Make sure the pest control operator's licence is current if one is required in your state."* Ask for the license number and check it with your state pesticide agency.
- **Will they inspect and explain the plan?** The guide says any company *"should inspect your premises and outline a recommended control program"*, including the pests to be controlled, the active ingredients and the non-chemical alternatives.
- **What's their track record?** Ask other restaurant owners, and ask your state pesticide agency about complaints.
- **Are they insured?** The guide says *"you should think twice before hiring a company that is not insured."*
- **Do they guarantee their work?** And what do they need from you to keep the guarantee (access, cleaning, repairs)?

For a restaurant, add two more: **how often will they visit** (monthly is common; ask what they recommend for your building), and **will they leave a written service report** every time, with what they found, what they applied, and what they need you to fix.

## What to record

### Every sighting (any employee)

| Field | Example |
| --- | --- |
| Date and time | Wed 6:20 am |
| Where | Dry storage, behind the flour bins |
| What | 3 mouse droppings |
| Who found it | Opener |
| What we did now | Area cleaned and sanitized; flour bins checked, lids tight; manager told |
| Called the operator? | Yes, 7:00 am; visit booked for Thursday |

### Every service visit (manager)

| Field | Example |
| --- | --- |
| Date, company, technician | Thu 2:00 pm, licensed operator, technician name and license number |
| Areas inspected | Kitchen, dry storage, walk-in area, dish, outside dumpster pad |
| Activity found | Droppings in dry storage; one live cockroach under the dish machine |
| Treatments applied | Product, active ingredient and where, from the technician's report |
| Devices checked or added | Bait stations outside checked; two monitors added in dry storage |
| What they need us to fix | Door sweep on the back door; gap around the pipe under the three-compartment sink |
| Report filed | Yes (copy kept with this log) |

### Fixes they asked for

| Fix | Who | By when | Done |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Replace back door sweep | Owner | Next Monday |  |
| Seal gap around pipe under the three-compartment sink | Maintenance | Friday |  |

## A monthly pest walk

Between visits, walk these spots once a month with a flashlight (they're also on our [monthly self-inspection](https://www.mays.app/blog/food-safety-self-inspection-checklist)):

- \[ \] Under and behind equipment on the line and in dish
- \[ \] Dry storage: corners, under the bottom shelf, inside bins
- \[ \] Walk-in door gasket and around the condenser
- \[ \] Doors: sweeps tight, no light under the back door, self-closers working
- \[ \] Holes around pipes and conduit; cracks in walls and baseboards
- \[ \] Drains and floor sinks clean
- \[ \] Dumpster lids closed, area clean
- \[ \] Incoming deliveries checked for pests (see our [receiving log](https://www.mays.app/blog/receiving-log-delivery-checklist))
- \[ \] Bait stations and monitors where the operator put them, undisturbed

## Where Mays fits

Mays has no pest module, but the log above fits in its custom forms and checklists:

1. **Build two forms.** Under **Tasks → Types**, an admin clicks **New task type** and builds *Pest sighting* (a **Date / time**, **Single choice** fields for where and what, a **Photo**, a **Text** box for what you did and a **Yes / No** for whether the company was called) and *Pest control service visit* (company, technician and license number, **Multiple choice** for the areas inspected, activity, treatments and fixes as **Text**, a **Photo** of the service report and a **Signature**). The image at the top of this post shows both in the **Task Types** list.
2. **Put each form in an on-demand template.** Under **Tasks → Templates**, create a template with one task, set its answer type to **Custom form** and pick the form under **Task Type** in the task's **Edit Task** window, then set **Frequency** to **Custom**. Custom templates never run on a schedule.
3. **Start one when it's needed.** When someone reports a sighting, or the technician arrives, the manager goes to **Tasks → Create Task → From Template**, picks the template and assigns it to themselves (or to whoever found it). The form is filled in in the iPhone or Android app.
4. **Walk the building monthly.** Put the pest walk above on a **Monthly** checklist template, with **Photo** answers for the spots that matter.

Everything submitted is kept: **Tasks → Data** lists every sighting and visit with one column per field for the dates you pick, and **Export CSV** downloads it (photos and signatures stay on each submission and aren't in the CSV). Keep the company's PDF service reports and your contract in a **Knowledge Base** folder shared only with managers. The **Logbook** is the place for "found droppings in dry storage, operator coming Thursday" so the next manager on shift knows.

Two limits: choosing a form for a task needs access to **Tasks → Types**, which only admins have by default, and staff can't start a form on their own, so sightings go through the manager on shift.

## Look first, call fast, write it down

Every sighting recorded, every visit filed, every fix with a name on it.

[**Start your free trial**](https://go.mays.app/register): 30 days, every module, no card needed. Or [book a walkthrough](https://www.mays.app/book?from=blog-pest-control-log-template) and we'll build your pest log with you.

## Related help articles

- Tasks & checklists: [Building custom forms (Task Types)](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/custom-form-task-types) — Build your own task forms, like a cash count, a temperature log or a waste log, under Tasks → Types. Staff fill them in the app, and every answer lands in Task Data, ready to export.
- Tasks & checklists: [Task Data: viewing and exporting form answers](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/task-data-export) — Tasks → Data lists every answer submitted on a custom form, like a cash count or temperature log, one row per submission, and downloads them as a CSV file.
- Tasks & checklists: [Creating a checklist template](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/create-a-checklist-template) — Build an opening, closing or cleaning checklist once as a template — groups, tasks and answer types — and Mays turns it into your team's task list in the app.
- Knowledge & training: [Your knowledge base](https://www.mays.app/help/knowledge-training/knowledge-base-basics) — Keep your SOPs, recipes and policies in one place. Admins and managers build folders of articles and documents on the web; the whole team reads and searches them in the app.
- Tasks & checklists: [Task answer types](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/task-response-types) — Every task has an answer type that decides how staff complete it. Tick a box, take a photo, enter a number or text, pick an option, record a location, count stock or fill in a form.

Canonical: https://www.mays.app/blog/pest-control-log-template