Local wildlife information

Wildlife control in New York

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

Wildlife in New York: what to know

Around New York

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 New York: what the public record shows

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

$50 commercial (free municipal); 80% exam; valid Oct 1 - Sep 30; age 18+

NWCO license

Required to trap, transport or release nuisance wildlife for hire.

New York State DEC

White-tailed deer, black bear, beaver, otter, mink, muskrat, fisher, marten, bobcat, wild turkey, all native snakes and turtles

Species needing depredation permits even for NWCOs

Scope limit for general wildlife operators.

New York State DEC

Illegal

Homeowner relocation off property

Unprotected species (chipmunk, mice, moles, porcupine, rats, shrews, voles, woodchuck, red and flying squirrels) may be taken without a permit.

New York State DEC

Nuisance Wildlife species recorded in New York

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.
Groundhog (woodchuck) (Marmota monax) — Unprotected in NY and IN (no permit); listed as a rabies vector in PA.
Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) — Most common building bat; protected with maternity-season exclusion limits.

Rules that apply in New York

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

Explore New York cities

Albany

Humid Continental · urban setting

Wildlife control in New York

Wildlife in New York: what to know

Around New York

What to note

A useful next step

Wildlife in New York: what the public record shows

Nuisance Wildlife species recorded in New York

Rules that apply in New York

For context, nationally

Explore New York cities

Albany

Binghamton

Buffalo

Freeport

Hempstead

Ithaca

Long Beach

Mount Vernon

New York

Newburgh

New Rochelle

Niagara Falls

Poughkeepsie

Rochester

Rome

Saratoga Springs

Schenectady

Syracuse

Troy

Utica

Valley Stream

White Plains

Yonkers

Amsterdam

Ask about wildlife control in New York