- A. A wildlife damage control operator shall remove bats only by nonlethal methods, except when a State or local public health department requires lethal removal.
- B. A wildlife damage control operator may capture and release individual bats that enter a dwelling or office outside near the building.
- C. Bat colonies containing more than 10 adults, whether or not young are present, require prior approval from the Service to be excluded from buildings from March 1 to August 31.
- D. Bat colonies containing 10 or fewer adults do not require prior approval from the Service for exclusion at any time of the year.
- E. Exclusion of a bat colony and sealing of active entrances into the building shall take place before hibernation.
- F. A wildlife damage control operator may install and leave in place exclusion devices for hibernating bats until the colony emerges in the spring.
- G. A wildlife damage control operator may seal bat entrances after the bat colony is excluded from the building.
Authority: Natural Resources Article, §§1-104, 10-205, and 10-908; State Government Article, §10-206; Annotated Code of Maryland
Effective date: August 25, 2008 (35:17 Md. R. 1485)
Regulation .03A amended effective April 20, 2020 (47:8 Md. R. 435)
Regulation .04A amended effective November 30, 2009 (36:24 Md. R. 1857)
Regulation .24B amended effective March 17, 2014 (41:5 Md. R. 341)
Regulation .28E amended effective April 5, 2010 (37:7 Md. R. 569)
Regulation .28F adopted effective April 5, 2010 (37:7 Md. R. 569)