Quick answer
NYC wildlife removal typically costs $150–$500+ depending on animal and extent, with professional exclusion strongly recommended for attics and protected species like bats.
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Wildlife Removal in NYC: What You Need to Know
New York City’s dense urban environment attracts five persistent wildlife problems: squirrels, raccoons, pigeons, bats, and the occasional opossum or skunk. Each requires different legal approaches, equipment, and expertise. This guide walks through the most common invaders, what the law requires, real costs, and when DIY is not an option.
Squirrels in NYC Attics
The Problem: Grey squirrels are the bread and butter of NYC wildlife removal. They enter attics through gaps as small as two inches, chew through electrical wiring (fire hazard), and leave droppings that attract secondary pests. Attic invasion peaks October through February, with two maternity seasons per year: February–April and late July–September.
Why You Cannot Just Trap and Release: Before sealing squirrels out, confirm there are no pups in the attic. A mother sealed out with pups inside will chew a new entry hole — often through a structural element — or the pups will die in the wall cavity and create an odour problem lasting months.
The Solution: A one-way excluder door mounted over the primary entry hole. The squirrel exits through the funnel; the flap prevents re-entry. Leave it in place 5–7 days minimum (10 days in winter). After confirmed exit, seal all entry points with 14-gauge hardware cloth, copper mesh, or metal flashing — expanding foam alone is useless; squirrels chew through it in hours.
Cost: $200–$400 for professional exclusion, depending on attic complexity.
Raccoons: Exclusion, Not Relocation
Legal Trap: Under New York State DEC regulations, raccoons live-trapped as nuisance wildlife cannot be relocated. They must be euthanised on-site or released on-site. Many homeowners discover this too late. Illegal relocation by a homeowner or operator carries criminal penalties and DEC licence revocation.
What Raccoons Actually Do: They raid garbage, den in attics (soffit damage is the typical entry), and occupy chimneys during maternal season (March–July). A female with kits inside presents a two-stage problem: you cannot seal her out until the kits are mobile at 8–10 weeks.
The Right Approach: Exclusion first. Identify every entry point — roofline gaps, fascia board junctions, dormer flashings, HVAC penetrations. Seal with 14-gauge hardware cloth, not foam or plastic mesh; raccoons dismiss lighter materials. A chimney cap must be heavy-gauge stainless steel, mechanically fastened with screws, not just set-weight. Galvanised caps fail fast.
Cost: $300–$600 for comprehensive attic/soffit exclusion.
Pigeons: Netting and Biohazard Clean-Up
The Damage: Pigeons are NYC’s most pervasive urban pest. They nest in ledges, courtyard overhangs, and building recesses. Droppings are acidic, corrode sealant and masonry, and carry Histoplasma capsulatum spores (fungal lung infection risk in enclosed spaces). Unlike bats or songbirds, pigeons are not protected — but that does not mean anything goes.
Netting: 50mm knotted or knotless UV-stabilised polyethylene netting is the standard for pigeon exclusion. Installation requires proper anchor points: stainless steel eye bolts or concrete anchors (no clips alone). In NYC, many façades are landmarked; anchor placement requires LPC (Landmarks Preservation Commission) review before drilling.
Critical: Netting must be preceded by a full clean-out of existing guano. Netting over existing waste traps biohazard beneath. Professional clean-up uses N100 or P100 respirators, disposable coveralls, and gloves. Wetting the droppings before disturbance reduces spore count. Never dry-sweep pigeon guano.
Spike strips are secondary deterrents, ineffective for high-density nesting sites.
Cost: $800–$1,500+ for commercial ledge netting with clean-out; residential varies.
Bats: Protected, Seasonal, and Non-Negotiable
The Law: All native bat species in New York are legally protected. You cannot kill, injure, or capture bats. Exclusion is the only legal control method. A technician who kills bats faces criminal charges.
Maternity Season Exclusion Ban (June 1–August 15): During this period, female bats roost with flightless pups. One-way exclusion installed during maternity season drives adults out; pups die inside the structure. You have committed a wildlife violation and created an odour and rabies-exposure problem. No exceptions.
The Process: One-way bat check valves (cone or tube of netting) are installed over roost entry points October through May or after 15 August. Bats exit through the narrow end and cannot re-enter. The device stays in place 4–7 days minimum. After confirmed exclusion, seal entry points with caulk (small gaps) or expanding foam covered by hardware cloth (larger voids). Bats enter through gaps as small as 6mm.
Rabies Protocol: Any direct bat contact — skin contact, waking to find a bat in a bedroom, unexplained contact with a child or pet — is treated as potential rabies exposure. Call NYC DOHMH or your physician immediately. Bats are the leading source of rabies transmission to humans in the US.
Cost: $400–$800 for bat exclusion; seasonal timing may delay work.
Opossums and Skunks
Opossums rarely den in attics (they prefer ground dens and crawl spaces) but may nest under decks. Skunks dig beneath foundations and under decks, causing structural damage. Both are slower and less destructive than raccoons. Exclusion follows the same principles: identify all entry points, seal with hardware cloth, and eliminate harborage (dense brush, wood piles, accessible food sources).
NYC Wildlife Law: What Homeowners Can (and Cannot) Do
- You CAN: Exclude pigeons, sparrows, and starlings from your property without a licence. Use live traps for squirrels on your property (but relocation requires a DEC permit specifying destination; releasing on a neighbouring property or “in the park” is illegal).
- You CANNOT: Trap raccoons without a DEC NWC (Nuisance Wildlife Control) licence. Disturb bats or bat roosts. Touch any native bird nest while active.
Licensed Operator Required for:
- Any nuisance wildlife work involving raccoons
- Bat exclusion
- Any trapping programme
- Any work on species protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
All nuisance raccoon work in NYC requires a DEC NWC licence. The licence number must appear on any removal documentation.
DIY vs Professional: When to Call an Expert
DIY Considerations:
- Squirrel excluder installation and secondary sealing can be owner-installed on low-complexity attics.
- Pigeon spike strips are DIY-friendly; netting is not (LPC compliance, anchoring, and guano biohazard).
- Anything involving raccoons, bats, or protected birds requires a licensed operator.
Go Professional If:
- Your attic has multiple entry points or difficult-to-access areas.
- Bats are involved (legal requirement).
- You discover a maternal raccoon or squirrel.
- Pigeon netting is needed (LPC compliance, liability insurance).
- Guano is present (biohazard).
Prevention: Seal Entry Points
- Roof: Walk the roofline quarterly. Seal soffit gaps, dormer flashings, and vent penetrations.
- Chimney: Install a wildlife-exclusion-rated stainless steel cap (screwed, not weighted).
- Fascia boards: Inspect for gaps; caulk or seal with hardware cloth.
- Garbage: Store in sealed bins and remove on collection day.
- Tree limbs: Keep branches 6+ feet away from your roof to prevent “jump-on” access.
- Deck/crawl space: Enclose the underside with 1/4-inch hardware cloth, buried 6 inches into soil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much does wildlife removal cost in NYC? A: $150–$500+ depending on animal and extent. Squirrel exclusion runs $200–$400; raccoon attic exclusion $300–$600; pigeon netting $800–$1,500+; bat exclusion $400–$800.
Q: Can I relocate a trapped raccoon to a park? A: No. Under New York State DEC law, trapped raccoons must be euthanised on-site or released on-site. Illegal relocation carries criminal penalties. Exclusion is the legal first choice.
Q: When can I exclude bats from my property? A: Only outside maternity season: August 16–May 31. Exclusion during June 1–August 15 kills flightless pups inside and is a criminal violation.
Q: What material stops raccoons and squirrels from re-entering? A: 14-gauge galvanised or stainless steel hardware cloth only. Chicken wire, expanding foam alone, plastic mesh, and wood filler are ineffective — animals breach them in hours.
Q: Is pigeon guano dangerous? A: Yes. It carries Histoplasma capsulatum spores (fungal lung infection risk) and must be cleaned with N100 or P100 respirators and disposable coveralls. Never dry-sweep or blow out guano.
Q: Can I touch a bat I find in my home? A: No. Any direct contact is a rabies exposure incident. Call NYC DOHMH or your physician. Bats are the leading source of rabies transmission to humans in the US.
Q: Do I need a licence to exclude pigeons? A: No, provided the work is on your own property. However, many NYC building façades are landmarked — netting installation may require LPC approval before drilling anchors.
Next Steps
If you suspect a wildlife problem, start by identifying entry points and confirming which animal is present. For squirrels and pigeons on a single-family property with straightforward access, owner-installed excluders and sealing can work. For anything involving raccoons, bats, or commercial properties, contact a licensed NYC pest-control operator and request their DEC NWC licence number before signing anything.