Request a Quote

Home/Bats

Bat Removal in Albany

Last reviewed September 8, 2026 against Georgia DNR published rules and federal statute. How we research this site.

Bats are the most legally constrained animal in this trade. Getting the timing wrong is not just inhumane, it is often illegal.

Albany specifically

Bats in this part of Georgia use the same buildings they always have, but the storms changed the openings. A ridge that lifted and was re-set, or a gable vent screen that tore and was never replaced, is a gap of well under an inch, and under an inch is all a bat needs. Georgia’s maternity restrictions apply here in full, so the timing question is a legal one before it is a practical one.

Bats in Dougherty County: who does what

The City of Albany Animal Control publishes its remit as dog fighting, inhumane treatment, animals running at large, cruelty, dangerous dogs, bite cases and enforcement of the city animal control ordinance. Wildlife is not on that list at all: the department describes itself as responding to calls concerning domestic animals. There is no municipal service here for an animal in your attic, and no referral published either.

Animal control for both Albany and Dougherty County is the Albany Police Department’s Animal Control unit, one number for both (229-431-2132), which describes its work as patrolling city streets and answering calls about domestic animals.

For identifying an animal or damage before anyone is paid to look, the UGA Extension, Dougherty County office is at 125 Pine Avenue, Suite 100, Albany, GA 31701, (229) 436-7216 (office page).

What Georgia law says about bats

Bats are protected under Georgia law and may not be intentionally killed, harassed or harmed; licensed operators may only exclude them. DNR says exclusions should be avoided from 1 April to 31 July, when flightless pups may be inside, and that only a licensed operator may do one in that window. No individual nuisance permits are issued for bats between 1 May and 15 August. All Georgia rules →

The Georgia dates:

Exclusions should be avoided: April 1 – July 31 · No bat permits are issued: May 1 – August 15

Sources: City of Albany, Animal Control; Georgia DNR: Nuisance Wildlife Control study material (O.C.G.A. 27 and permit conditions); Georgia DNR: excluding bats from your house; Georgia DNR: wildlife control permits. Checked October 2026.

Bats leaving a gap where the fascia meets the soffit at dusk
Illustrative A colony leaving at dusk: counting the emergence is how a job is sized.
Twelve month calendar showing when bat exclusion is restricted in Georgia A year-long timeline with the restricted and recommended bat exclusion windows marked. Georgia bat exclusion calendar J F M A M J J A S O N D Exclusions should be avoided No bat permits are issued
Drawn from Georgia DNR guidance for Georgia. Red is restricted, green is a recommended window. Dates differ by state, so this calendar is specific to Georgia.

Signs, and why they matter

  • Bats seen leaving the roofline, a gable end or a chimney around sunset
  • Squeaking or rustling from a wall cavity or attic, worst on hot evenings
  • A sharp ammonia smell: accumulated guano and urine
  • Rabies: any direct contact, or a bat found in a room where someone was asleep, needs a call to your health department
  • Histoplasmosis, a lung infection from fungal spores in accumulated guano

How removal works

Bats are never trapped or killed. A licensed operator fits one-way valves at the active exits so bats can leave but cannot re-enter, seals every other gap first, then removes the valves once the roost is empty. Guano removal and attic decontamination usually follow.

Cut-away of a one-way exclusion door fitted over an entry hole A wall in cross-section with the attic on the left and outside on the right. A hinged flap is fitted over the entry hole on the outer face. An animal pushes the flap open from inside and leaves; the flap falls shut behind it, and a stop below prevents it opening inwards, so the animal cannot get back in. INSIDE: ATTIC OR CRAWLSPACE OUTSIDE WALL STOP: IT ONLY SWINGS OUT HINGED AT THE TOP OUT: ONE WAY AND NEVER BACK IN
A one-way door lets the animal leave and not return, which is why sealing the hole is the last step, not the first.
Illustrative An emergence count at dusk: the number decides how many one-way valves the roofline needs.

Bat questions

How much does bat removal cost in Albany?

$400 – $600 small colony · $500 – $1,200 typical · $5,000 – $8,500 for a large colony, depending on access and whether young are present. After a long stay in an attic the cleanup is often the bigger bill (attic restoration).

Is there a wrong time of year to deal with bats?

Exclusion is restricted during maternity season, when pups cannot yet fly. Sealing a roost then traps them inside to die. The dates differ by state: see the Georgia law page.

Who handles bats in Dougherty County?

Animal control for both Albany and Dougherty County is the Albany Police Department’s Animal Control unit, one number for both (229-431-2132), which describes its work as patrolling city streets and answering calls about domestic animals.

Request a quote

We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Albany where one is available. We are still building our list of operators here, so we cannot promise one is available or say how quickly they will respond.

We are an information and referral service, not a licensed wildlife control operator, and we may be paid for the introduction. You are never charged.

Request a quote from a licensed Georgia operator

Tell us what is in your house. We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Albany where one is available. We are still building our list of operators here, so we cannot promise one is available or say how quickly they will respond.

Request a Quote