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Bat Removal in Hattiesburg

Last reviewed September 8, 2026 against MDWFP published rules and federal statute. How we research this site.

Bats are the most legally constrained animal in this trade. Getting the timing wrong is not just inhumane, it is often illegal.

Hattiesburg specifically

Mississippi is strict here in a way people do not expect: the state’s system requires a permitted operator, and every trapping employee needs their own licence. There is no legal do-it-yourself route for bats in this state. Combine that with the maternity timing and the options narrow to one: a properly permitted exclusion, done at the right time of year.

Bats in Forrest County: who does what

Hattiesburg’s animal control is a unit of the police department, and the ordinance it enforces is written around owned animals: running at large, restraint, and the responsibilities of an owner. An animal in your attic has no owner and falls outside that framework entirely. Mississippi handles nuisance wildlife through the state’s permitted operator system instead, which is a private, paid arrangement.

For identifying an animal or damage before anyone is paid to look, the MSU Extension, Forrest County office is at 952 Sullivan Drive, Hattiesburg, MS 39401, 601-545-6083 (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; City of Hattiesburg, Chapter 118, Animal Incidents and Control. Checked October 2026.

Bats leaving a gap where the fascia meets the soffit at dusk
Illustrative A colony leaving at dusk: counting the emergence is how a job is sized.

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.

Cut-away of a one-way exclusion door fitted over an entry hole A wall in cross-section with the attic on the left and outside on the right. A hinged flap is fitted over the entry hole on the outer face. An animal pushes the flap open from inside and leaves; the flap falls shut behind it, and a stop below prevents it opening inwards, so the animal cannot get back in. INSIDE: ATTIC OR CRAWLSPACE OUTSIDE WALL STOP: IT ONLY SWINGS OUT HINGED AT THE TOP OUT: ONE WAY AND NEVER BACK IN
A one-way door lets the animal leave and not return, which is why sealing the hole is the last step, not the first.
Illustrative An emergence count at dusk: the number decides how many one-way valves the roofline needs.

Bat questions

How much does bat removal cost in Hattiesburg?

$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 Hattiesburg 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.

We are an information and referral service, not a licensed wildlife control operator, and we may be paid for the introduction. You are never charged.

Request a quote from a licensed Mississippi operator

Tell us what is in your house. We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Hattiesburg 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.

Request a Quote