Local wildlife information

Wildlife control in Maryland

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

Wildlife in Maryland: what to know

Around Maryland

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 Maryland: what the public record shows

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

80% to pass; retake after 45 days, up to three times a year

WDCO permit exam

Applications processed in 10 business days; annual reports due December 31.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Bats, foxes, raccoons, skunks

Rabies vector species

Raccoon, skunk and fox: released on site (first listed disposition).

Maryland DNR

Within 2 miles of capture

Reptile/amphibian release radius

Other wildlife may be moved within the same or adjacent county with written permission.

Maryland DNR

Nuisance Wildlife species recorded in Maryland

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.
Gray fox / red fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus / Vulpes vulpes) — Rabies vector species in MD and PA; Texas bans transport of live foxes.

Rules that apply in Maryland

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: Maryland Department of Natural Resources; COMAR 08.03.15 Wildlife Damage Control Operator regulations; Rabies in the United States: Protecting Public Health; Class A (commercial) Nuisance Wildlife Control Permit study packet (17 Ill. Adm. Code 525). Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore Maryland cities

Annapolis

Humid Subtropical · urban setting

Wildlife control in Maryland

Wildlife in Maryland: what to know

Around Maryland

What to note

A useful next step

Wildlife in Maryland: what the public record shows

Nuisance Wildlife species recorded in Maryland

Rules that apply in Maryland

For context, nationally

Explore Maryland cities

Annapolis

Baltimore

Bethesda

Bowie

Catonsville

Columbia

Frederick

Gaithersburg

Germantown

Glen Burnie

Hagerstown

Laurel

Rockville

Salisbury

Silver Spring

Waldorf

Towson

Ask about wildlife control in Maryland