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Bat Removal in Lafayette

Last reviewed September 8, 2026 against LDWF 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.

Lafayette specifically

Bats are the most legally constrained animal in this trade, and Louisiana is no exception. Getting the timing wrong is not just inhumane, it is often illegal, and a sealed maternity roost is the worst outcome available.

Bats in Lafayette Parish: who does what

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries is explicit that it does not remove nuisance wildlife. It permits individuals to do it for a fee. A Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator permit is issued to a person rather than a company, every individual doing the work must hold one in their own name, and getting it requires a Louisiana trapping licence, a basic hunting licence, and 80 per cent on the department's exam. The permit also lists exactly which animals may be taken, raccoon, squirrel, opossum, skunk, armadillo, beaver and nutria among them.

For identifying an animal or damage before anyone is paid to look, the LSU AgCenter, Lafayette Parish office is at 1010 Lafayette Street, Suite 325, Lafayette, LA 70501 (office page).

What Louisiana law says about bats

Under Louisiana’s operator rules bats may only be excluded, or captured and relocated; killing them is prohibited. LDWF also warns that entangling migratory birds in netting is a federal offence, which matters when a roofline is being sealed. Eleven bat species have been identified in the state. All Louisiana rules →

Sources: Louisiana Administrative Code Title 76 (wildlife and fisheries); LDWF: Bats in Homes; Louisiana Department of Health: rabies annual report 2023; Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Nuisance Wildlife Control and Removal. 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 Lafayette?

$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 Louisiana law page.

Request a quote

We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Lafayette 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 Louisiana operator

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