Are Bats Protected in Illinois?
Yes. Every bat species in Illinois is protected under the Illinois Wildlife Code, and killing one is not permitted. The only lawful way to get a colony out of a building is exclusion, and Illinois only allows it during certain months. Here is what that means for your house.
Is it illegal to kill a bat in Illinois?
Yes. Bats are classified as protected wildlife under the Illinois Wildlife Code. That protection applies to all of the species found here, whether they are roosting in an attic, a soffit, a barn or a chimney.
Two Illinois species carry an additional layer of federal protection: the Indiana bat and the northern long-eared bat are both federally listed as endangered. Work that disturbs those colonies is regulated well beyond the state rules.
The practical consequence for a homeowner is simple. Extermination is not on the table, and neither is waiting it out. The remedy Illinois does allow is exclusion, which moves the colony out alive and keeps it out.
What if a bat is inside the house right now?
That is a different situation from a colony in the attic, and Illinois treats it differently. A single bat in a living space may be removed at any time of year, no matter where the exclusion calendar sits. It still may not be killed.
The part people get wrong is releasing it. If a bite or scratch cannot be confidently ruled out, or the bat was in a room with someone sleeping, a small child, or anyone unable to report contact, do not let it go. It may need to be tested, and a bat that has flown off cannot be. Contact your county health department and a physician.
Exclusion, not extermination
Find every entry
A full inspection of the roofline, soffits, gable ends, ridge vents and chimney. Bats use gaps the width of a finger, and a colony almost never has just one way in.
Fit one-way doors
Devices at the active openings let the colony fly out to feed and prevent it returning. Nothing is trapped, nothing is harmed, and the building empties itself over several nights.
Seal and guarantee
Once the roost is confirmed empty, every gap is sealed permanently and the work is warrantied. Guano-contaminated insulation is removed and replaced separately.
When exclusion is allowed
This is the part almost nobody knows, and it is the reason a bat problem can sit unresolved for months.
From roughly mid-May to early August, exclusion is off limits. That is the maternity period, when pups are present and cannot yet fly. Sealing a roost then walls them in, which is both unlawful and leaves you with a far worse problem in the insulation.
The working windows are mid-March to mid-May and August 5 through October 30. There is a second constraint on top of the calendar: the work only succeeds on evenings above 50°F, when bats actually leave to feed. Late October in northern Illinois does not offer many of those, so the usable nights run out before the deadline does.
After October 30, the colony overwinters where it is and nothing can be sealed until spring.
Sprays, poisons and ultrasonic devices
There is no poison or fumigant registered for bat control in the United States. Anything sold as a bat killer is either mislabelled or intended for a different animal, and using a pesticide against a protected species would compound the legal problem rather than solve it.
Ultrasonic repellers are the other common purchase. They are not an effective substitute for physical exclusion; a colony that is disturbed tends to shift deeper into the structure rather than leave the building.
Mothballs, ammonia dishes and bright lights fall into the same category. They may move bats from one part of an attic to another. They do not empty a roost, and they do not close the gap the colony is using.
Common Questions
Is it illegal to kill bats in Illinois?
Yes. All Illinois bat species are protected under the state Wildlife Code, and two of them are also federally listed as endangered. Exclusion is the lawful remedy.
Can I kill a bat that gets inside my house?
No. It can be removed at any time of year, but not killed. If exposure cannot be ruled out, do not release it, as it may need testing. Call your county health department and a physician.
Do I need a permit to have bats removed?
You do not, but the operator does. Nuisance wildlife work in Illinois requires a state permit, and you should expect any company you hire to be IL DNR licensed and insured.
What if I find a dead bat on my property?
Do not handle it bare-handed. If a person or pet may have contacted it, call your county health department, as it may need testing. Otherwise it can be disposed of using gloves and a sealed bag.
What happens if I just seal the attic myself?
During maternity season you trap flightless pups inside. Outside it, sealing without a full inspection usually pushes the colony into a neighbouring gap, and the noise returns within days.
The season is open until October 30.
Legal exclusion is running now. After the 30th the colony stays put until spring, and so does everything it leaves behind. IL DNR-licensed, 25 years, free on-site inspection.
Related
Bat services across Kane & McHenry County
Bat Removal & RemediationBat in the HouseAttic RestorationBat Removal ElginBat Removal Crystal LakeBat Removal HuntleyBat Removal St. CharlesA note on this page
This is general information about how Illinois treats bats, not legal advice, and the rules can change. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Department of Public Health are the authorities on current requirements and rabies protocol. If you have bats in a building, we will tell you exactly what the calendar allows on your property before any work is quoted.