Bat Removal in Grand Rapids, MI
Help for bats in Grand Rapids attics, and Kent County’s own steps for a bat in the house.
Calls route by ZIP to an independent operator where one covers the address; where none does, they come to Local Core Group, which runs this site.
In Grand Rapids, Kent County asks that no bat be brought in for testing until you have spoken with its staff at 616-632-7228, and the county’s staff, not the resident, decide whether it is tested. If they approve testing, the resident takes the bat to the county animal shelter, and if you are uncomfortable catching the bat, Kent’s own advice is to call a professional pest or wildlife control company.
What does Kent County say to do about a bat in a Grand Rapids home?
Call the Kent County Health Department at 616-632-7228 before you take the bat anywhere. On weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Option 2 reaches staff for a rabies risk assessment; Option 1 takes a message, and staff call back the next business day. The county tests a bat only when its staff find a possible risk to a person, and asks that no bat be brought in before you have talked to them.
Who to call about a bat in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids and the rest of Kent County
- 616-632-7228: about a bat. On weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Option 2 reaches staff for a rabies risk assessment; Option 1 takes a message, and staff call back the next business day.
What to do with the bat: Kent tests a bat only when its staff find a possible risk to a person, and asks that no bat be brought in before you have talked to them. If testing is approved, you take the bat to the Kent County Animal Shelter; one that arrives before 2:30 p.m. is usually sent for testing that afternoon. A dead bat is kept cool.
Who removes wildlife: If you would rather not catch the bat yourself, the county suggests a professional pest or wildlife control company. Its animal shelter says it is not licensed to handle wildlife.
Source: Kent County Health Department, Bat in the Home (read 2026-10-27); Kent County Health Department, Rabid bat bulletin (May 28, 2026) (read 2026-10-27); Kent County Animal Control, Animal Control (read 2026-10-27); U.S. Census Bureau, Places by county, Michigan (2020 Census) (read 2026-10-31).
Every other county is on the health department lookup.
How does Kent County handle a bat found in the house?
In three steps, according to the county’s bat guidance. First, the call. Staff complete a rabies risk assessment, talk through whether the bat should be tested, and give information about any medical follow-up. A message left on Option 1 should give your name and phone number, where you found the bat, and whether you still have it.
Second, if staff approve testing, the resident brings the bat to the Kent County Animal Shelter. The county says a bat that reaches the shelter before 2:30 p.m. usually goes out for testing the same afternoon, and the result usually comes back by the next business day; a bat that arrives after 2:30 p.m., or on a Friday, can take one business day longer. Keep a dead bat cool, for example on ice in a cooler or in the refrigerator.
Third, the result. County staff call with it, and with instructions if post-exposure treatment is needed. Until you reach the county, follow the steps for a bat in the house that apply anywhere in Michigan.
Who removes bats from a Grand Rapids house?
Not the county. Kent County’s advice, for anyone not comfortable catching a bat that is loose in the house, is to get help from a professional pest or wildlife control company. The Kent County Animal Shelter, where you take the bat if testing is approved, says it is not licensed to handle wildlife and points residents to the Michigan DNR or a local pest control company.
A colony in the attic is a different job from one bat in a bedroom. Ask the operator which state permits cover the work, and when it will happen: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says exclusion should never take place during the maternity season, typically May 15 to August 15. How the work is done is on the bat removal and exclusion page.
How often does rabies turn up in Kent County?
Rabid animals are reported in Kent County: the county’s May 2026 bulletin counted 16 rabies-positive animals reported over the past five years, two of them in 2025.
Grand Rapids questions
Do I take a bat to the Kent County Health Department?
No. Kent County asks that no bat be brought in for testing before you have spoken with its staff on 616-632-7228. If they approve testing, the bat goes to the Kent County Animal Shelter.
Sources for this page
Each rule and figure on this page comes from one of these pages, read on the date given. Agency guidance is described as guidance; it is not presented as law.
- Bat in the HomeKent County Health Department
- Rabid bat bulletin (May 28, 2026)Kent County Health Department
- Animal ControlKent County Animal Control
- How (and whether) to install bat boxesUSFWS
- Places by county, Michigan (2020 Census)U.S. Census Bureau
Michigan DNR pages
Linked for further reading. This page does not quote them or rely on them for its facts.
Accuracy and corrections
- Last reviewed
- , by Local Core Group, which runs this site
- How pages are made
- How this site's pages are written and checked
- Sources
- All sources and the dates they were read: sources page
This page is general information for Michiganders, not legal advice. Rules are taken from the agency that publishes them and linked to its own page; agency guidance is labeled as guidance, not law. Rules and guidance change, so check the linked page, the DNR or your local health department before acting on anything time-sensitive.
Corrections. If a rule, number or contact here is out of date, point to the agency page that shows it through the request form or by calling 616-512-2425. Each correction is checked against the source, and the page is dated when it changes.
What Grand Rapids homeowners read next
Bat in the House
Do not let it go yet. Confine it if you safely can and ask your local health department whether it should be tested.
Bat in the house →Bat Removal and Exclusion
Many bats are federally protected, and the work is exclusion, timed around the summer maternity season.
Bats →Wildlife Exclusion and Entry-Point Sealing
One-way doors, then sealing every gap with durable material. The part of the job that stops a repeat.
Exclusion & sealing →Attic Cleanup, Insulation and Damage Repair
Droppings, guano and soiled insulation, plus the repairs to entry points.
Cleanup & repair →Call about an animal in a Grand Rapids attic
When it happens, where in the house, and what you have seen outside. Your call routes by ZIP to an independent wildlife control operator where one covers your address, and that operator settles price and timing with you. Where none does, it comes to Local Core Group, which runs this site.