Indiana Department of Natural Resources guidance generally lets a person remove up to five bats in a 24-hour period from a dwelling without a permit, when the bats are a demonstrable but non-immediate threat to people. Larger evictions and other situations need a permit or a wildlife control operator.
Key takeaways
- Indiana DNR guidance generally allows a person to remove up to five bats in 24 hours from a dwelling without a permit.
- That allowance applies where the bats are a demonstrable but non-immediate threat to people.
- Larger evictions and other circumstances need a permit or a contract with a wildlife control operator.
- DNR describes one-way, funnel-shaped exclusion devices that let bats leave a building but not come back in.
- Evictions are best done in spring or autumn, so young bats are not trapped inside the structure.
- Bats can get through openings as small as half an inch, so finding every entry point is part of the job.
Can I remove a few bats myself in Indiana?
Yes, within limits. Indiana DNR guidance generally allows removing up to five bats in a 24-hour period without a permit, provided the bats are a demonstrable but non-immediate threat to human safety. Anything beyond that moves into permit territory.
The state's Living with Wildlife guidance is the rule most people never hear about. It is written for a dwelling, which the guidance treats as a residence or a place of work, and it covers a small number of bats removed within one 24-hour period. The allowance is narrow on purpose. It is meant for a bat that is a real but non-immediate concern for people, not for a colony that has settled into a building over the season. When the situation is larger than that, the rule stops applying and a permit or a contract with an operator becomes the next step.
Removal should be humane, and any bat that is taken is reported through DNR's sick-or-dead wildlife tool. Because the five-bat allowance runs on a 24-hour window, count carefully. A sixth bat in the same day changes the job from a homeowner matter into one that needs a permit or an operator. Write down the date, the time and the number of bats handled, so the count is clear if anyone asks later.
Why do bats end up in barns and farmhouse attics?
Old barns and farmhouse attics tend to be the roosts that get noticed in farm country. Bats look for warm, sheltered space with a gap to fly through, and an older building usually offers more of both than a newer one.
Bats do not build nests and do not chew into a building. They move into openings that already exist, which is why an entry point is often a gap that has been there for years: a loose board under the eave, a torn vent screen, a space where the roof meets the wall, or a gap around a cupola. Farm buildings have many of these because they were often built to let air through rather than to hold it in. The bats are looking for shelter, and a gap that lets them into a dark, quiet space is all they need.
Sunset is the best time to find the way in. Bats start to emerge within an hour of sunset, so someone who watches the building at dusk can see them leave and mark the openings they use. DNR suggests this watch as the first step for exactly that reason. Doing it before anything is sealed tells you where the bats are, and it prevents an exclusion job from shutting a colony inside a wall without anyone knowing it was there. A few minutes of watching is worth more than a quick guess from the ground.
How does one-way exclusion work?
One-way exclusion lets bats leave a building at night but blocks their return. DNR describes one-way, funnel-shaped devices placed over the openings bats use, so the animals can get out and cannot get back in.
A one-way device is a funnel of mesh or similar material that fits over an entry point. Bats fly out through the narrow end in the evening and cannot find their way back through it. The device has to cover every opening the bats use, not only the one you can see from the ground, which is why the sunset watch comes first. A single open gap left behind keeps the colony in place, and a device that fits poorly can leave bats trapped inside the structure where they cannot reach the way out.
Once the bats are out and the devices have been in place long enough to be sure, the openings are sealed permanently. Seal only after you are confident no bats remain inside, because a bat sealed into a wall or attic cannot leave. DNR notes that bats can get through holes as small as half an inch, so the repair has to be thorough. Check the eave, the ridge, the soffit gaps, the vent and the flashing, rather than patching a single obvious hole. Sealing alone is not a removal plan, and it is the last step, not the first.
When should bat exclusion happen?
DNR recommends evicting bats in spring or autumn. The reason is to avoid trapping young bats inside a building, which is the mistake the timing advice exists to prevent.
Young bats that cannot yet fly cannot leave a building that has been closed up around them. If an exclusion is done at the wrong point in the year, the young can be left behind inside a wall or attic and die there while the adults are shut out. DNR's guidance points to spring or autumn for that reason. If you are unsure whether young are present, ask the operator to check before any device goes up, and do not rely on the calendar alone to decide.
Autumn is the recommended window, and it still calls for care. A building should be checked for activity before a device or a seal goes in, whatever the month. Do the exclusion in daylight with a plan written down: which openings, which device, which day, and who checks the building afterward. A one-day job with nothing recorded tends to miss an entry point, and a missed entry point brings the bats straight back. A written plan is cheap, and it is the thing that makes the result hold.
When does a bat job need a permit or an operator?
Anything beyond the five-bat, 24-hour allowance needs a permit or a contract with a wildlife control operator. DNR applies that rule to larger evictions and to other circumstances, so a building with a colony is a job for an operator.
A colony, meaning more bats than the allowance covers, is the case that needs an outside hand. The permit route and the operator route both exist for that reason, and the right one depends on the size of the job and who is doing it. Purdue Extension notes that most nuisance wildlife control operators do not do bat work, because it calls for specialized equipment and is difficult to carry out. So when you call, ask directly whether the operator does bat exclusion, rather than assuming a general wildlife company does.
Bat work is specialized, so the job usually comes down to finding the right person early and asking them to walk the building first. Ask what they will check at sunset, which devices they plan to use, when the exclusion will happen, and how they will confirm nothing is left inside. Keep the paperwork: any permit, any contract and any DNR report of a bat taken. If the building needs an outside hand, bat exclusion is the service that covers it, and the same questions apply to any firm you consider.
Is a bat in the living space a safety question?
It can be. The state's test is whether a bat is a demonstrable but non-immediate threat to people. A bat found in a room where people sleep or work is a reason to stop and call for help, not to try a quick fix.
The guidance does not list every situation, and it does not ask a homeowner to decide on the spot whether a bat is an emergency. What it gives is a way to think about the question. A bat that is somewhere in the structure and not in contact with anyone is a different situation from a bat found in a room where people are, and both call for a plan. The five-bat allowance is written for the kind of case where the threat is real but not immediate. Anything that cannot be sorted out quickly should go to an operator.
A bat found on the floor, in a bedroom or in a child's play area is a reason to stop. Close the door to the room, keep pets and children out, and do not try to catch the bat by hand. Call an operator or your local DNR contact with the details, and write down where the bat was found and at what time. That record helps anyone who comes later, and it keeps the decision with people trained to make it. The raccoon and wildlife removal service covers the wider set of animals that get into the same buildings.
What should I ask a bat removal company before hiring?
Ask whether the company does bat exclusion specifically, whether it will walk the building at sunset, and whether it holds any permit or contract the job requires. A good answer names the devices, the timing and the cleanup.
Start with experience. Purdue's observation that most nuisance wildlife operators do not do bat work means the first answer may be no, and it is useful to learn that early. Ask how many bat jobs the operator has done in buildings like yours, and whether they will explain the method before work starts. An operator who has not done bat exclusion should say so plainly and point you toward someone who has, rather than improvising on your roof or in your attic.
Then ask about the process. A careful operator will want to walk the building, look for entry points at dusk, explain the device they plan to use and say when the exclusion will happen. They should tell you how the openings will be sealed after the bats are gone, and whether there is a repair plan for every hole that let them in. Get the scope in writing, including what happens if a bat is still found after the work. The technician confirms the price on site before any work starts, so ask that question at the first visit too.
Frequently asked questions
Can I legally remove bats from my own barn in Indiana?
Indiana DNR guidance generally allows an individual to remove up to five bats in a 24-hour period from a dwelling without a permit, when the bats are a demonstrable but non-immediate threat to people. Other circumstances, and larger evictions, need a permit or a contract with a wildlife control operator. Removal should be humane, and any bat taken should be reported through DNR's sick-or-dead wildlife tool. DNR's own page is the source to check for the current wording before you act.
When is the best time to evict bats?
DNR recommends evicting bats in spring or autumn. That timing is meant to avoid trapping young bats inside a building. Watching at sunset is the first step, because bats start to emerge within an hour of sunset and the watch shows where they leave. Ask the operator to check for young before any device or seal goes in.
How small a gap can a bat get through?
DNR notes that bats can get through holes as small as half an inch. That is why a repair has to cover every opening, including gaps along the eave, at the vent and where the roof meets the wall. A patch over the obvious hole often misses the one that matters. Check the building from the outside at dusk, and again after the work is finished.
Do I need a permit to hire someone for bats?
Not for every job. A larger eviction, or any other circumstance outside the five-bat allowance, calls for a permit or a contract with a wildlife control operator. Ask the operator which applies before work starts. Purdue Extension notes that most nuisance wildlife control operators do not do bat work, so ask the question directly. Keep copies of any permit or contract with the building's records.
What if a bat gets into a room where people are?
Close the door to the room and keep pets and children out. Do not try to catch the bat by hand. Call an operator or your local DNR contact and describe where the bat was found and when. The five-bat allowance covers the case of a bat that is a non-immediate threat to people, but the next step is a call, not a fix made alone.
How do I reach a technician?
Call (855) 974-4733. Phones are answered 24/7, and a visit the same day only when a technician is free. A technician will ask where the bats were seen, what the building is used for and whether the entry points are known. Having that information ready makes the first visit faster.
Sources
This guide is general information for Blackford County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.