Food Service Pest Reference · Free tool
Exclusion Walk
Doors, screens, gaps, pipe penetrations, drains and vents, measured against what the Food Code and the biology actually say: a quarter inch admits a mouse, a half-inch door gap admits a young rat, a 16-mesh screen keeps out flying insects.
Prepared by Trenton S. Frazer, M.S., BCE #B3413 · Version 1.0, November 3, 2026 · Not legal advice
How to use this document
Walk the outside of the building once with this list, a flashlight and a pencil (a standard pencil is about a quarter inch across; if it slides under a door, so does a mouse). Then walk the inside. Every box you cannot check is an item for the corrective-action log with a name on it: staff, maintenance, your pest company, or the landlord if the lease puts the building on the landlord. The thresholds come from the FDA Food Code (6-202.15: holes and gaps filled, windows closed and tight-fitting, doors solid, self-closing and tight-fitting; 16-mesh to 1-inch screens or air curtains where openings must stay open) and from University of California IPM (mice through 1/4-inch openings; young rats under a 1/2-inch door gap; seal holes larger than 1/4 inch; sparrows through openings over 3/4 inch). Not legal advice.
Exterior doors (every one, including emergency exits)
- Door closes and latches by itself (self-closer or spring hinge works)Note:
- No daylight under the door; a pencil does not slide under; sweep or threshold seal intactNote:
- No gap at the sides or top; weatherstripping intactNote:
- Door is solid (no missing panel, no broken glass)Note:
- Nothing props it open: no wedge, no bucket, no chair; a rule for the delivery doorNote:
- If a door or window must stay open for ventilation: 16-mesh screen or a working air curtainNote:
Windows and vents
- Every opening window has an intact 16-mesh screenNote:
- Every exterior vent, exhaust and intake is screened with mesh of 1/4 inch or less (1/2 inch keeps out sparrows and starlings; 1/4 inch keeps out mice)Note:
- Roof-top hood penthouse and ducts sealed where they meet the roof; no bird nestsNote:
Walls, foundation and penetrations
- Every pipe, conduit, gas line, cable and drain penetration sealed (copper mesh plus sealant, or sheet metal); no opening larger than 1/4 inchNote:
- No cracks or holes at the base of the wall, the slab edge or the foundationNote:
- Dock seals and levelers intact; no gap at the dock doorNote:
- Siding, trim and coving intact where they meet the groundNote:
Dumpster, grease bin and outside
- Dumpster lid closes and stays closed; no bags beside itNote:
- Grease bin lid closes; no overflow; pad cleanNote:
- Pad hosed; no standing water; drain clearNote:
- Vegetation and stored items at least a foot off the building; no ivy or stacked material against wallsNote:
- No bird roosting on ledges, signage or the patio rail; spikes or netting where they doNote:
Interior: the same list from the inside
- Back of every penetration sealed where the pipe enters the wall insideNote:
- Gaps behind and under fixed equipment sealed or equipment spaced for cleaningNote:
- Coving and base tile intact; no voids behind the base of the wallNote:
- Floor drains have covers; drain bodies scrubbed on scheduleNote:
- Dry storage walls and ceiling tight; no openings into the ceiling plenumNote: