• Call 911 if it’s a medical emergency.
• Call 800-222-1222 for poison help.

If you think you got sick after visiting a restaurant, pool, hotel, or other permitted place in Alexandria, call 703-746-4910. We’ll ask you a few questions, like:

• Name and address of the place
• Date and time you were there
• What you ate or where you swam
• How many people were with you, and how many people got sick
• What symptoms you had and when they started (like vomiting, diarrhea, or fever)
• If you saw a doctor or nurse
• What you ate, where you swam, or if you traveled in the 3 days before getting sick

You can also report online using My Meal Detective.

There are two main rules about smoking in restaurants in Alexandria:

• Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act
• City of Alexandria Code

These rules do not ban smoking in all cases. For example, smoking may be allowed in certain outdoor areas.

If you see someone smoking inside a restaurant:

1. Look for an Alexandria Health Department notice about the Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act.
2. If you don’t see one, ask the staff to show it to you.
3. If there’s no notice, you can file a complaint using the contact information at the top of this page.

For more details, visit the City of Alexandria’s Food Safety webpage.

The Alexandria Health Department investigates rat or mouse problems only at places we permit, like:

• Restaurants
• Grocery stores
• Pools
• Hotels and motels

If you see rodents at one of these places, call 703.746.4910.

For rodent issues anywhere else (like homes, alleys, or construction sites), please call the Department of Code Administration at 703-746-4200 or email the Maintenance Code Team to file a complaint.

Alexandria Rodent Control Program

Bed bugs can give you itchy bites and may trigger breathing problems like asthma/COPD. But, they don’t spread disease.

The Alexandria Health Department investigates bed bug problems only at places we permit, like:

• Hotels and motels
• Facilities with vulnerable or captive populations (like schools, nursing homes, or jails)

If you see bed bugs at one of these places, call 703-746-4910 and be ready to share:

• The name and address of the place
• Room numbers affected
• Date and time you were there
• What you saw

AHD does not investigate bed bug complaints at private homes or businesses. For guidance on managing bed bugs at home, including in apartments and condos, or while travelling, visit the City’s Bed Bug webpage.

Mosquitoes can grow in standing water. To prevent them:

• Dump water from buckets, birdbaths, and flowerpots often
• Clean and scrub containers that collect water
• Visit alexandriava.gov/MosquitoControl for more tips

If you think the problem is coming from a neighbor’s yard, try talking to them and share this info.

If you see a lot of mosquitoes or standing water that’s been there for more than 5 days and it’s not on your property, call 703-746-4910. Be ready to give:

• The address of the area
• What you saw
• When you saw it
• Any other helpful details

Pesticide Concerns?
If you think someone is misusing pesticides, contact the Virginia Office of Pesticide Services at 804-371-6560 or email ops.enf@vdacs.virginia.gov.