Ann Arbor City Council is considering an ordinance that would prohibit the use and sale of glue traps to capture or kill birds, rodents and reptiles, a measure that would classify violations as civil infractions carrying fines up to $250 for a first offense and between $250 and $500 for each additional violation. The proposal would still allow lethal snap traps, no-kill live traps, and glue boards used specifically for insects or spiders.
According to MLive.com, the ordinance is sponsored by council members Ayesha Ghazi Edwin, Erica Briggs, Jenn Cornell and Dharma Akmon. City attorney John Reiser, a senior assistant city attorney, wrote that glue traps are widely considered the single most inhumane wildlife control product available, since animals caught in them may suffer for days before dying from dehydration, starvation or blood loss. If approved at first reading, the measure would advance to a public hearing and final council vote, with the ordinance taking effect 60 days after publication.
Why Officials Say Sticky Traps Harm More Than Rodents
Glue traps threaten nearly all species of wildlife, according to the same MLive report, and can ensnare cats, birds and squirrels in addition to the mice and rats they're marketed for. The Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals both advise against using the devices. PETA warns that animals trapped in glue panic and struggle, becoming more helplessly stuck, and that the adhesive can tear off fur, feathers or skin — with some animals breaking bones or chewing off their own limbs while trying to escape.
A 2014 study cited in municipal animal-welfare reports, including Ventura's staff report on its own glue trap ban, found that more than 85 percent of animals caught in glue traps remain alive and suffering for over 24 hours before dying of exhaustion, dehydration or blood loss. In Ann Arbor, local animal welfare and enforcement needs are handled through the Ann Arbor Police Department's partnership with the Humane Society of Huron Valley, which operates Washtenaw County's sole open-admission animal shelter, according to the City of Ann Arbor.
A Public Health Case Against Sticky Traps
Beyond the cruelty concerns, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns the public not to use glue traps because they increase people's exposure to disease. Animals stuck in glue continue to produce urine and feces through which pathogens can be transmitted to humans, including hantavirus, which can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe and sometimes fatal respiratory disease spread through breathing contaminated air or touching contaminated materials. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension has similarly explained that panicked animals void urine and feces that can also spread leptospirosis, a point that creates an unusual alignment between animal-welfare advocates and public-health agencies on the issue.
Part of a Wider Legislative Trend
Ann Arbor's proposal would place the city within a broader movement that began in California. West Hollywood became the first U.S. municipality to ban the sale and use of rodent glue traps when its city council unanimously passed an anti-cruelty ordinance in April 2023, according to WeHo Times. Since then, Ojai, Culver City and, as of March 2026, Ventura have passed similar bans, with Ventura becoming the largest U.S. city to outlaw glue traps, per PETA.
That momentum has reached Congress as well. U.S. Representative Ted Lieu introduced the Glue Trap Prohibition Act in January 2024 to establish a national ban on the possession, sale and distribution of rodent glue traps, according to a press release from Lieu's office. New York lawmakers have also introduced companion bills in early 2026 — Int. No. 531 in New York City and state measures A.10193 and S.3046 — seeking to ban glue trap sales locally and usage in state-owned and leased buildings, with the city bill proposing civil penalties up to $500 per violation, per the NYC Bar Association. Overseas, the UK's Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 took full effect in England in July 2024, making it a criminal offense for unlicensed members of the public to set a glue trap to capture rodents, according to UK legislation records.
Major retailers have also moved ahead of lawmakers. CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and Target have voluntarily banned the sale of glue traps across their U.S. stores following public and animal-welfare campaigns, according to a City of Ventura staff report. Companies, institutions, municipalities and countries have banned the sale and use of glue traps, and animals trapped by them may suffer for days before dying from dehydration, starvation or blood loss — the same concern driving Ann Arbor council members toward the vote.
