Local wildlife information

Wildlife control in Illinois

Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.

Wildlife in Illinois: what to know

Around Illinois

Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.

What to note

Where you see wildlife, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.

A useful next step

Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.

Local research

Wildlife in Illinois: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which wildlife actually live in Illinois, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.

Must be euthanized

Trapped striped skunks

Raccoons must be euthanized or released on the same property.

Illinois DNR

Requires a Class A Nuisance Wildlife Control Permit

Charging a fee for wildlife removal

Bats may not be shot, trapped, transported or held except in living-quarters situations.

Illinois DNR

Nuisance Wildlife species recorded in Illinois

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) — Top terrestrial rabies vector in the East; relocation banned in most states.
Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) — Primary rabies reservoir in Texas and the central U.S.; Illinois requires euthanasia of trapped striped skunks.
Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) — Furbearer in Illinois; rarely rabid; handled under general nuisance rules.
Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) — Most common building bat; protected with maternity-season exclusion limits.

Rules that apply in Illinois

17 Ill. Adm. Code 525 NWCO packet

For context, nationally

Around 4,000; more than 90% in wildlife — Animal rabies cases reported per year. CDC
More than 20% each — Skunks and foxes that expose people or pets and are rabid. CDC

Sources: Class A (commercial) Nuisance Wildlife Control Permit study packet (17 Ill. Adm. Code 525); Rabies in the United States: Protecting Public Health; Impacted Bats. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore Illinois cities

Arlington Heights

Humid Continental · suburban setting

Wildlife control in Illinois

Wildlife in Illinois: what to know

Around Illinois

What to note

A useful next step

Wildlife in Illinois: what the public record shows

Nuisance Wildlife species recorded in Illinois

Rules that apply in Illinois

For context, nationally

Explore Illinois cities

Arlington Heights

Aurora

Berwyn

Bloomington

Bolingbrook

Champaign

Chicago

Cicero

Decatur

Des Plaines

Elgin

Evanston

Joliet

Naperville

Oak Lawn

Palatine

Peoria

Rockford

Schaumburg

Skokie

Springfield

Waukegan

Downers Grove

Ask about wildlife control in Illinois