2017 may not be a good year for Seattle’s booming rat population.

The city’s new building code as of Jan. 1 requires developers to get rid of rats from any property they plan to tear down.

Seattle is among the rattiest cities in the country, due to our mild climate and also to the city's rapid growth. Developers are quickly snapping up old buildings — but they may sit on them for a while before tearing them down. Those vacant buildings often become a home to hundreds of furry, whiskered squatters.

At least until demolition day.

Why are there so many rats in Seattle?