What FWC counts as nuisance wildlife
Rule 68A-9.010 lets a property owner, or a person the owner authorizes, take nuisance wildlife on the owner's property by any method the rule doesn't bar. FWC's FAQ adds that trappers and owners don't need to notify FWC or get its authorization for most destructive or nuisance wildlife taken from private property. A trapper does need the owner's consent, and steel traps on destructive mammals need an FWC regional-office permit.
The rule bars gun and light, steel traps, live traps and snares not visited within 24 hours, and poison other than registered pesticides used per the label. It also lists what can't be taken as nuisance wildlife: species listed in chapter 68A-27, black bear, deer, bats (with exceptions), migratory birds, bobwhite quail and wild turkey. Bobcats can be taken when causing damage, but a live-captured bobcat must be released, and FWC's FAQ says taking nuisance alligators needs additional permits.
Wildlife removal cost in Florida: what our model says
Our estimate for a wildlife removal job in Florida is $220 to $580 per job, and the table adds an attic job estimate with trapping, sealing and cleanup. Both come from national ranges scaled by Florida's wage ratio of 0.99, and neither is a quote.
No Florida company wildlife price was counted. Ask what the price covers: the trapping, how often the traps are checked, the sealing and whether a bat job waits until the season allows exclusion.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $220 to $580 per job | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Florida pest control worker wage ratio (0.99). Four Florida pest control companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: no state company sample (no counted Florida company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Estimated range for an attic job, not a quote | $845 to $4,000 per attic job, trapping, sealing and cleanup | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Florida pest control worker wage ratio (0.99). Four Florida pest control companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: no state company sample (no counted Florida company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Pest control pay, Florida | $22.15 an hour | Florida mean pay for pest control workers (BLS, May 2025), not a wildlife job price. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (2 sources), adjusted by Florida's pest control worker wage ratio to the US (0.99, BLS May 2025), with no permit fee added because pest control has no city permit. Not a quote. Four Florida pest control companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. We have no counted Florida company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.
Release, relocation and the 24-hour limit
A live-captured animal is released legally or euthanized humanely within 24 hours of capture or trap inspection. A native animal can be released on the same contiguous property. Off the site, the release spot has to be at least 40 contiguous acres in the same county as the capture, and the person releasing needs the landowner's written permission. Nonnative animals can't be moved except for humane euthanasia.
FWC calls relocation a popular myth and a last resort, and says transport must not break a rabies alert or quarantine from a county health department or animal control. Public land can be a release site only with the land manager's written permission.
Bats: April 16 to August 14
Bat exclusion devices, and any device that blocks bats from entering or leaving, are illegal from April 16 through August 14, the maternity season, without a permit. FWC calls fall the ideal time to evict bats because no young are present. Killing bats is illegal under rule 68A-4.001.
Rule 68A-9.010 allows bats to be taken only incidentally to an exclusion device or registered repellent from August 15 to April 15. The other route is incidental take during permanent repairs, after at least four consecutive days and nights of exclusion with forecast lows above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Who does the work, and which state office licenses whom
FWC doesn't license wildlife trappers, and trappers may register voluntarily on its Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator list, so a listing there is not a license. A company that uses pesticide falls under FDACS, and trapping rats and mice under a structure needs the Limited Wildlife Management Certificate. Ask the trapper which species the job involves, since the rules above differ by species.
Is an animal in the house a same-day call?
- An animal whose behavior presents a threat to public safety, one of the three situations in FWC's definition of nuisance wildlife.
- Bat exclusion between April 16 and August 14, when the devices are illegal and fall is the time FWC calls ideal.
- Comparing bids for sealing and cleanup.
Steps before the visit
- Note where the animal enters and what time you hear it.
- Photograph the droppings or damage with a coin for scale.
- Ask which species the trapper expects and which FWC rule applies.
- Ask how often the traps will be checked; the limit is 24 hours.
- Ask what happens to a live animal and whether the owner's written permission is in hand for any release.
- Don't block a bat's way in or out from April 16 to August 14 without a permit.
Who holds a license for wildlife work in Florida
FWC states that it does not license wildlife trappers, and no property owner needs FWC authorization for most nuisance species on private land. The FDACS wildlife certificate covers commensal rodents only. FWC's relocation page adds that transport must not violate a rabies alert or quarantine from a county health department or county animal control.
Ask for the company's FDACS business license number and the name of its certified operator in charge, and check the license with FDACS before any work starts.
Questions people ask
How much does wildlife removal cost in Florida?
$220 to $580 per job in the model, an estimate and not a quote. The table adds an attic job row with trapping, sealing and cleanup. Ask what each price covers.
Can I trap a nuisance animal on my own Florida property?
For most species, yes: FWC says owners don't need its authorization to take most nuisance wildlife from private property. Traps must be inspected at least every 24 hours, and steel traps for destructive mammals need an FWC regional-office permit.
Can a trapper relocate the animal somewhere else?
A native animal can go back on the same contiguous property, or to a site of at least 40 contiguous acres in the same county with the landowner's written permission. A nonnative animal may be transported only for humane euthanasia.
When can I seal bats out of a Florida building?
Not from April 16 to August 14, when exclusion devices are illegal without a permit. FWC calls fall the ideal time, when no young are present.
Does FWC license wildlife trappers?
No: FWC says it does not license wildlife trappers. Trappers may register voluntarily on a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator list.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Pest Control Workers (SOC 37-2021), Florida, mean hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Pest Control Workers (SOC 37-2021), United States, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- PestControlMatch: how we estimate costs, Florida (editorial policy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- FWC FAQs: Nuisance Wildlife; FWC Removing wildlife page Read Oct 24, 2026.
- FWC: Relocating Wildlife; FWC FAQs: Nuisance Wildlife Read Oct 24, 2026.
- FWC: Bats (Living with Wildlife) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- FLRules 68A-9.010 Taking Nuisance Wildlife (Word file read) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 2026 (Online Sunshine), chapter 482 Pest Control, page header "The 2026 Florida Statutes", s. 482.157 Read Oct 24, 2026.