The short answer
Pest control is generally treated as part of a restaurant's hygiene management, and the licensee is responsible for the hygiene condition of their own premises. That said, this article is not an official guide: FEHD doesn't publish a single itemised standard covering exactly what kind of record satisfies inspection or how long it needs to be kept, so treat FEHD's own published material as the authority if you need to verify anything specific. What follows is practical: what a complete record should contain, and how to keep one that's actually useful later.
Why do records matter at inspection time?
FEHD licenses food premises, and a restaurant's hygiene condition falls within that licensing scope — pest control is generally treated as part of hygiene management, with the licensee responsible for the condition of their own premises. Worth repeating: this article is not an official guide. Exactly what kind of record satisfies an inspection, and how long it should be kept, isn't something FEHD publishes as a single itemised list we can quote from — if you need to verify the actual rules, go to FEHD's own published material or contact them directly. What follows is practical: a complete treatment record is concrete evidence you've kept up proper prevention measures, useful during a hygiene inspection, a licence renewal, or even a conversation with your landlord.
What should a good pest control record contain?
- Date and time of the visit
- Areas treated (e.g. kitchen, storage room, back-door line of defence)
- The name of the pesticide used and its AFCD registration number — any pesticide must be a product registered in Hong Kong before it can be sold or used
- What was found on the day (any sign of pests, species, level of activity)
- Follow-up recommendations (whether gaps need sealing, whether a recheck visit is needed)
A simple record format you can copy yourself
You don't need a complicated system — a simple log is enough, as long as you fill it in every time and the dates match the actual visit. Paper or digital both work; what matters most is not letting it lapse or backfilling it after the fact. The row below is a sample format (fictional example, not a real record):
| Date | Areas treated | Product (with registration no.) | Findings | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-10 | Kitchen, storage room, back-door line | XX (AFCD reg. no. XXXXX) | Cockroach activity found in storage room | Recheck in two weeks |
How does a professional service document this for you?
Keeping your own log works, but a third-party record with the actual pesticide name and registration number carries more weight at an inspection or in a conversation with your landlord. Averta's restaurant pest control service provides this kind of record with every visit; an on-site inspection is HK$350, fully credited when you book, and we only recommend a scheduled treatment contract after we've actually seen the premises.