Bat Removal Irving, TX

Irving contacts

• Irving Animal Services: a division of the Irving Police Department, at 4140 Valley View Lane, (972) 721-2256. Call about a bat that may have bitten or touched a person or pet.
• Dallas County Health and Human Services: the county disease-reporting contact on the DSHS list, with a rabies exposure line at (214) 819-2004. DCHHS advises on whether post-exposure treatment is needed but sends patients to a hospital or doctor for the shots.

DSHS bat guidance covers situations Irving residents run into: a bat found in a room where someone was sleeping, a bat found with a small child, or a bat a pet caught. Each may count as an exposure without a visible bite. Keep the bat for testing, without touching it bare-handed.

Bats in rental housing

Census figures show about 64% of Irving's occupied homes are rented, and about 41% of housing units are in buildings with 10 or more units. Only about 38% are detached houses. That makes Irving different from most of the cities we serve. Here, the person who hears scratching in the wall usually isn't the person who can approve sealing the building.

If you rent:

• Report bat activity to the property manager in writing, including where you saw bats or droppings and when.
• If a bat gets into your unit, close the room, keep pets out, and call Irving Animal Services if anyone may have been exposed.
• Don't block a hole yourself. Sealing one opening while bats are inside can push them into your unit or a neighbor's.

On apartment buildings, colonies usually use expansion joints, gaps behind siding and trim at the roofline, and the space around rooftop equipment curbs. Excluding bats from a building that size means finding every opening on every wall. That usually takes a lift and the owner's approval.

Bats and timing

Brazilian free-tailed bats, big brown bats, and evening bats all use buildings in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, according to Texas Tech's Mammals of Texas. TPWD discourages exclusion from May 1 to August 15 while pups can't fly. At the DFW Airport station, average lows stay at 50°F or warmer only from April through October, so mid-August through October is the main window, with a shorter one in spring.

Irving housing and climate snapshot

• Housing units: 103,492 (median year built 1987)
• Built before 1980: 34%; built 2010 or later: 17%
• Single-family detached: 38%; buildings with 10+ units: 41%
• Renter-occupied homes: 64%
• Average January low: 36°F; average August high: 96°F
• Months with an average low of 50°F or warmer: Apr–Oct

Housing figures: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables B25024, B25034, B25035, B25003) via Census Reporter. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Dal-Ftw Wscmo Ap station.

Common questions

Nearby city guides

• Dallas
• Grand Prairie
• Coppell
• Farmers Branch
• Euless

Sources

1. City of Irving: Animal Services
2. Texas DSHS: Dallas County disease reporting contacts
3. Dallas County Health and Human Services
4. Mammals of Texas (TTU NSRL): Brazilian free-tailed bat
5. Mammals of Texas (TTU NSRL): big brown bat
6. Mammals of Texas (TTU NSRL): evening bat
7. TPWD Outdoor Annual: nongame and other species (bats)
8. Texas DSHS: bat exposure scenarios and capture tips
9. Census Reporter: Irving ACS 2024 profile
10. NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 monthly normals (Dal-Ftw Wscmo Ap)