There is no single answer for every pesticide. What matters is the specific product, where and how it was applied, and what its label says. The useful news is that you can get all of it.
The information is required to be available to you
When pesticides are applied in a multiple dwelling, the applicator provides the building owner or agent with the pesticide label information and warnings before the application, and New York law requires the owner or agent to make that information available to occupants at reasonable times upon request.
What to ask for
- The product name and its EPA registration number
- Where it was applied and where it was not
- What pest it was targeting
- Whether there are re-entry, drying or cleaning instructions
- Anything specific for children, pets, pregnancy, asthma or a fish tank
How long to stay out
There is no universal number, and any answer that does not name a product is a guess. Re-entry and drying times are set by the label of the specific product used, and they range from no restriction at all to a defined period.
What determines it: the product, the application method, and where it was applied. Gel bait placed in a cabinet hinge is not the same as a liquid applied to a surface.
Say your concern before the visit
Say it before rather than after, so that any product-specific precautions or treatment choices can be considered. An infant, a pregnancy, someone with asthma, a cat that gets into cabinets, a bird, a fish tank.
One thing to avoid: assuming a rule you read somewhere applies. Wiping down a treated area can remove the treatment.
The part most people do not know. Several of the most effective parts of a building pest program involve no chemistry at all. NYC's rules require sealing openings, removing debris and repairing leaks, and state that pesticides must not substitute for those measures. HPD's own guide instructs owners to use pesticides sparingly.