TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Starting Tuesday, Oct. 15, Ohio’s fall bat exclusion period begins, requiring residents to obtain permits before removing or relocating bats from homes or buildings.
All of Ohio’s bat species are protected under state law, and the exclusion period is designed to prevent unnecessary harm to the state’s vital bat population during their overwintering period.
“They’re just a really important part of the ecosystem, they play an important role for us, for insects,” said Eileen Wyza, a wildlife biologist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
The nocturnal mammals are protected in the Buckeye State, particularly since the appearance of white-nose syndrome, a cave fungus that has caused bat populations to experience declines of more than 90% in Ohio.
“Ohio has approximately 10 species of bats that regularly are in the state. Four of those are endangered, and the other six are at least a species of concern,” Wyza said.
To protect the important bat population, from Oct. 15 through March 31, anyone wanting to remove a bat must first get permission from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife.
“That is in place during this time of year because if a bat is overwintering in a home and an exclusion takes place in the dead of winter or when temperatures are below 40 degrees, bats cannot fly very well in that temperature,” Wyza explained.
The goal is to prevent death to an endangered animal, as it is illegal to cause intentional harm or death to an endangered species, regardless of circumstances.
Permits to request the removal of bats must be filed with ODNR’s Division of Wildlife, with each case reviewed individually. Human health and safety come first in these evaluations.
“So the humans and constituents will always rank above the bats, but if we can help to facilitate a way to coexist or just safely remove those bats with some of our partners in a way that everybody wins, we will always tackle that,” Wyza said.
The second restricted period for bat exclusion runs from May 16 through July 31 when five or more bats are present.
Applications for bat removal permits are available on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife website.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-10-14 23:19:00
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