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Bat Removal in Monroe
Bats are the most legally constrained animal in this trade. Getting the timing wrong is not just inhumane, it is often illegal.
Louisiana runs one of the stricter regimes in the South: permits are issued to individuals rather than companies, the operator needs a trapping licence and a hunting licence, and the exam pass mark is 80%. For a homeowner the practical effect is that the pool of people who may legally do a bat exclusion here is genuinely small: worth verifying rather than assuming.
Bats in Ouachita Parish: who does what
Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries does not remove nuisance wildlife. It permits operators to do it for a fee, and the permit deliberately excludes four things: deer, bears, migratory birds and alligators. Those need a different route entirely. LDWF also does not lend or rent traps, though some parish animal control offices do keep them, which is worth knowing before you buy one and discover Louisiana requires a licence to use it.
Ouachita Parish Animal Services (417 Well Road, West Monroe; 318-325-0756) describes its job as public safety and health related to both domestic and wild animals.
The Louisiana Department of Health records that a rabid dog found in Ouachita Parish in 2014 was carrying the bat variant of the virus.
For identifying an animal or damage before anyone is paid to look, the LSU AgCenter, Ouachita Parish office is at 704 Cypress Street, West Monroe, LA 71291 (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: Ouachita Parish Police Jury, Animal Control; Louisiana Department of Health: rabies annual report 2023; Louisiana Administrative Code Title 76 (wildlife and fisheries); LDWF: Bats in Homes; LDWF, Nuisance Wildlife Control and Removal. 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 Monroe?
$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.
Who handles bats in Ouachita Parish?
Ouachita Parish Animal Services (417 Well Road, West Monroe; 318-325-0756) describes its job as public safety and health related to both domestic and wild animals.
Request a quote
We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Monroe 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.