Bats in your house in New York: what to do and when exclusion is safe
Start with health, then timing. Bats in a house are a rabies question first and a removal question second.
If a bat is inside your living space
- The NYS Department of Health says to contact your local health department before you let the bat go. They may ask you to capture it so it can be tested for rabies.
- If a person or pet may have been bitten, scratched, or touched, report it to the health department. If you woke up in a room with a bat, seek medical care.
- If you are sure there was no contact, the Department of Health says to close the inside doors, open a window or door to the outside, and watch until the bat leaves.
Who removes bats from a building
The DEC says to contact a DEC Wildlife Office or a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator when dealing with bats, and notes that some bat species are protected and need an expert to identify. Find a licensed company by county and ask whether they do bat exclusion.
When exclusion should be done
We did not find a New York rule that sets dates for keeping bats out of a building. The DEC bat pages we read do not give a window either. Guidance from a neighboring state explains the concern. Delaware's wildlife agency says the maternity season for little brown and big brown bats, the species most likely to use buildings, is generally May 15 to August 31, and that a complete exclusion should not be done between those dates, because flightless pups can be trapped inside. It adds that May and June are when almost all colonies still have flightless pups.
- Delaware says limited bat-proofing that keeps bats out of your living space can be done at any time of year. A complete exclusion should wait until the pups can fly.
- Delaware says the best time for a complete exclusion is when bats have left or are leaving their summer roosts.
- Delaware says trapping and relocating bats is not an approved exclusion method.
These dates are from Delaware, not New York law. Ask any company that offers bat work which dates it follows and why.
Keep bats out afterward
The DEC suggests a bat house as a way to give bats a place to roost other than your home.
Next: what wildlife removal costs and raccoons, squirrels and skunks.