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Skunk Removal in Albany

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

Skunks den under porches, decks and sheds, and you usually know about it before you see one.

Albany specifically

Southwest Georgia has a lot of buildings sitting on piers, blocks or a slab edge that has settled (barns, sheds, equipment buildings, older outbuildings) and the gap along the base of one of those is the classic skunk den here. It is worth finding before you find it by smell, because a skunk that discharges under a building you use for storage will make that building unusable for a while.

Skunks 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 skunks

Skunks are fur-bearing animals in Georgia and licensed operators must trap them under the standard trapping regulations. They are also a rabies vector species, so a trapped skunk may not be relocated: the operator must euthanize it, following the county health department’s instructions if it bit or scratched anyone. All Georgia rules →

Sources: City of Albany, Animal Control; Georgia DNR: Nuisance Wildlife Control study material (O.C.G.A. 27 and permit conditions). Checked October 2026.

A striped skunk beside a hole dug under deck lattice
Illustrative The fan of loose soil gives a skunk den away before the smell does.

Signs, and why they matter

  • The obvious: a persistent musky smell around a deck or crawlspace
  • Cone-shaped digs in the lawn where they have been hunting grubs
  • A burrow entrance at the edge of a porch, slab or shed
  • Rabies vector
  • Spray contaminating a crawlspace or HVAC intake, which is extremely difficult to remove

How removal works

Careful trapping (skunks spray when startled, so this genuinely is a job for someone who has done it before) followed by burying an exclusion barrier along the structure edge.

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.

Skunk questions

How much does skunk removal cost in Albany?

$300 – $550 typical, 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 skunks?

Worst in spring, when females den to give birth, and again in autumn as they look for somewhere to overwinter.

Who handles skunks 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