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Bat Removal in Jackson
Bats are the most legally constrained animal in this trade. Getting the timing wrong is not just inhumane, it is often illegal.
Large attic volumes over Victorian and Craftsman housing, with brickwork that has moved over a century, make Belhaven bat colonies persistent rather than occasional. Timing is a legal matter as much as a practical one.
Bats in Hinds County: who does what
The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks sets the rule directly: landowners, leaseholders and their designated agents may take nuisance animals year round on land they own or lease, and nobody may trap on another person's land without permission. A trapping licence is required unless you are working land deeded in your own name. There is also a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator permit, whose holders file an annual report. The state does not turn up and remove the animal; it decides who is allowed to.
For identifying an animal or damage before anyone is paid to look, the MSU Extension, Hinds County office is at 1500 Raymond Lake Rd., Raymond, MS 39154, 601-857-3242 (office page).
What Mississippi law says about bats
Mississippi lists 13 bat species as nongame mammals in need of management, and a resident may kill a nongame mammal that has taken up residence in a building, though the gray, Indiana and northern long-eared bats are federally endangered. MSDH says rabid bats turn up in Mississippi every year, advises leaving a bat found in the house shut in the room rather than releasing it, and says exclusion should be done by a professional. All Mississippi rules →
Sources: MDWFP rule 2.3, nongame wildlife in need of management; MDWFP: mammals research; MSDH: bats and rabies; Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Nuisance Wildlife. Checked October 2026.
Signs, and why they matter
- Bats seen leaving the roofline, a gable end or a chimney around sunset
- Squeaking or rustling from a wall cavity or attic, worst on hot evenings
- A sharp ammonia smell: accumulated guano and urine
- Rabies: any direct contact, or a bat found in a room where someone was asleep, needs a call to your health department
- Histoplasmosis, a lung infection from fungal spores in accumulated guano
How removal works
Bats are never trapped or killed. A licensed operator fits one-way valves at the active exits so bats can leave but cannot re-enter, seals every other gap first, then removes the valves once the roost is empty. Guano removal and attic decontamination usually follow.
Bat questions
How much does bat removal cost in Jackson?
$400 – $600 small colony · $500 – $1,200 typical · $5,000 – $8,500 for a large colony, 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 bats?
Exclusion is restricted during maternity season, when pups cannot yet fly. Sealing a roost then traps them inside to die. The dates differ by state: see the Mississippi law page.
Request a quote
We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Jackson 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.