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Alabama Wildlife Removal Laws
Alabama does not remove nuisance wildlife from private property unless public safety is at risk. Instead it permits operators to do it at the landowner’s or tenant’s expense. In Dothan one of those permit holders is the city itself, because Dothan Animal Services appears on the state’s published operator list for Houston County. That is a real option for some calls. It is still worth asking what is included, because exclusion and repair are often outside what a removal visit covers. For bats, the maternity season applies whoever does the work.
Local agencies in Houston County
Dothan is unusual, the city itself holds a state wildlife permit. Most cities refuse this work outright. Dothan Animal Services appears on Alabama’s own published list of Permitted Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators for Houston County, covering raccoon, squirrels, opossums, bats, snakes, fox, bobcat, beaver, coyote, moles, voles and rats. The state notes that services vary between operators and may involve fees, so it is worth asking exactly what is and is not included; a permit to remove an animal is not the same thing as sealing the building afterwards. Outdoor Alabama, Permitted Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators
https://www.outdooralabama.com/nuisance-animal-control/permitted-nuisance-wildlife-control-operators
Nothing here is legal advice. Wildlife law changes and enforcement varies, so confirm anything that affects a permit or a prosecution with your state wildlife agency.
Who is allowed to charge for this work
Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator permit
Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators are permitted by the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries to remove nuisance wildlife at the landowner or tenant's expense. Alabama game and fish regulation 220-2-.27 provides for permits to take protected wildlife causing crop damage, property damage, or raising concern for human safety.
Bats
Bats are protected under both federal and Alabama state law. Removal is by exclusion only (one-way valves) never trapping or killing.
| Restriction | Dates | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Exclusion avoided during maternity season | reported as roughly May – July | Flightless pups are present. Excluding the mothers leaves the young to starve, which creates an odour problem and draws insects into the attic. Confirm exact dates with Alabama WFF. |
In Dothan: Alabama’s bat rules bite hardest in exactly this kind of building stock. Agricultural buildings, older houses with big open attic volumes and metal roofs on timber framing all suit a colony, and the state’s maternity restrictions apply to all of them.
Bats are never exterminated. Removal is by one-way exclusion; how that works →
Federal law on top
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects nearly every native bird; only the pigeon, European starling and house sparrow are exempt, and an active nest with eggs or young is protected regardless. Several bat species also carry federal listings. Bird removal →
Doing it yourself
Worth knowing: the Division states that it has no regulatory authority over permitted operators beyond permitting them to take protected wildlife, and does not guarantee quality of service, although it makes reasonable efforts to keep disreputable operators out of the permitting process. In other words, the permit proves legality, not competence: check references separately.
Somebody has to look at the property to answer that. How many entry points or burrows there are, how hard they are to get at, and whether young are present is what sets the price, and none of it can be judged from a description. Send us your address and licensed local operators will quote the inspection and the work. Request free quotes →
These rules apply to work anywhere we cover around Dothan: Dothan, Enterprise, Ozark, Headland, Abbeville, Slocomb, Hartford, Daleville.
Houston County questions
Do I need a permit to remove an animal from my own house in Alabama?
Worth knowing: the Division states that it has no regulatory authority over permitted operators beyond permitting them to take protected wildlife, and does not guarantee quality of service, although it makes reasonable efforts to keep disreputable operators out of the permitting process. In other words, the permit proves legality, not competence: check references separately.
Will a local agency in Houston County do the work instead?
Most cities refuse this work outright. Dothan Animal Services appears on Alabama’s own published list of Permitted Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators for Houston County, covering raccoon, squirrels, opossums, bats, snakes, fox, bobcat, beaver, coyote, moles, voles and rats. The state notes that services vary between operators and may involve fees, so it is worth asking exactly what is and is not included; a permit to remove an animal is not the same thing as sealing the building afterwards.
Sources
- Outdoor Alabama; Permitted Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators
- Outdoor Alabama; Alabama Nuisance Animal Control
Request free quotes
Licensed wildlife operators covering Dothan will contact you directly. There is no charge and no obligation.