Silver Bullet Pest ControlFound a Bat in Your House? Rabies, Your Health Department and What to Do in NJ
A bat in the bedroom, the kitchen or the kids' room? Stay calm. What you should do depends on one question: could anyone have had contact with it? This guide walks you through the decision, how to safely contain a bat, who to call in New Jersey, and how to keep bats out for good.
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What should I do if I find a bat in my house in New Jersey?
If the bat was in a room with someone who was sleeping, an unattended child, or someone who can't say whether they were bitten — or if anyone touched it — don't let it go: keep it contained and call your local health department or the NJ Department of Health, or the police or animal control after hours. If everyone was awake and no one had contact, simply being in a room with a flying bat is typically not considered an exposure, and the bat can be let out or removed. Health officials — not a pest company — decide on testing and treatment. Silver Bullet Pest Control removes bats from living spaces 24/7 and seals homes against bats. Call 973-510-2585.
First: stay calm and think about who was in the room
If you think someone was bitten or a bat was in a room with a sleeping person or child, call your local health department or doctor right away. Don't let the bat go — keep it contained. After hours or on weekends, call the police or animal control.
Most bats that end up inside a house are lost, not aggressive. Don't chase it, swat it or try to grab it with your hands. Close the door to the room so it stays in one place, keep children and pets out, and take a minute to answer one question:
Could anyone have had contact with this bat? That means anyone who was asleep in the room, a young child who was alone with it, a person who can't reliably tell you what happened, or anyone who touched it or was touched by it.
Bat teeth are tiny, and a bite may not leave a mark you can see. That's why New Jersey health guidance treats these situations seriously even when nobody felt anything. If the answer is yes — or you're not sure — keep the bat and call for health advice. If the answer is clearly no, the bat can be let out or removed.
This page covers practical safety, not medical advice. For anything about rabies risk, testing or treatment, your local health department and your doctor are the right people to ask.
Bat in the house: decision guide
Find the situation that matches yours.
| Situation | Keep the bat? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Bat flying around; everyone awake; no one touched it | No need | Typically not considered an exposure. Close interior doors, open a window or outside door, and let it leave — or call us to remove it. |
| Bat found in a room where someone was sleeping | Yes — contain it | Don't release it. Call your local health department or the NJ Department of Health. After hours: police or animal control. |
| Bat found in a room with an unattended child | Yes — contain it | Don't release it. Call your local health department or doctor right away. |
| Bat near someone who can't say if they were bitten | Yes — contain it | Don't release it. Call your local health department. |
| Anyone touched the bat, or was bitten or scratched | Yes — contain it | Call your local health department and your doctor right away. |
| A pet may have had contact with the bat | Contain it if you safely can | Call your veterinarian and your local health department. |
Health officials decide whether a bat should be tested and whether anyone needs treatment. Our job is the bat itself and the building.
How to safely contain a bat
Only if you can do it safely. If you can't, keep the door closed, keep everyone out of the room and call for help.
Protect your hands
Put on thick leather work gloves. Never touch a bat with bare hands, and don't use thin rubber or garden gloves.
Wait for it to land
Bats usually land after a while — on a curtain, a wall or behind furniture. Don't swat it out of the air.
Cover it
Place a plastic container, coffee can or small box over the bat where it's resting.
Slide and seal
Slide a piece of stiff cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside, then tape the cardboard firmly in place.
Keep it and call
Put it somewhere out of reach of kids and pets. Don't crush or harm the bat — if officials want it tested, it needs to be intact. Call the health department.
Who to call about a bat in New Jersey
Your local health department
The first call when someone may have been exposed. Every New Jersey town is served by a local health department, which handles rabies questions and bat testing decisions.
Your doctor
Call right away if someone was bitten, scratched or may have had contact. Health and treatment decisions belong with medical professionals.
Police or animal control
Nights, weekends and holidays, when the health department is closed. They can help when the health department's office is closed.
NJ Department of Health
The state agency for rabies guidance if you can't reach your local health department.
Silver Bullet Pest Control is the call for getting a bat out of your rooms and keeping bats out of the building. Emergency bat removal is available 24/7 at 973-510-2585. We don't give medical advice.
Why you shouldn't release the bat if someone may have been exposed
It's natural to want the bat gone as fast as possible. But once it flies out the window, it can't be tested, and the people who were in the room lose the one piece of information that could answer the question.
- A bite may not be visible. Bat teeth are very small, and a sleeping person or young child may not know anything happened.
- Health officials decide on testing. If the bat is contained, they can decide whether it should be tested.
- Treatment decisions are theirs. Your health department and doctor decide whether anyone needs treatment, based on what happened and, when possible, on the bat.
So: contain it if you can do so safely, keep it out of reach, and call. If you can't safely contain it, keep it shut in the room and call the health department, the police or animal control, or us for removal.
No one was exposed? How to let a bat out
Shut it in one room
Close interior doors so the bat can't move deeper into the house. Keep kids and pets away.
Open a way out
Open a window or an outside door in that room, and remove the screen if you can.
Lights off, stay back
Turn off the lights in the room and wait quietly outside it. Bats usually find the opening, often around dusk.
Call if it stays
If the bat doesn't leave, or you can't find it, call us. Emergency bat removal is available 24/7.
Remember: being in a room or house with a flying bat, while everyone is awake and no one touched it, is typically not considered an exposure.
One bat inside often means more in the walls
A bat in the living space is usually a sign of an opening somewhere — and sometimes a colony in the attic. Here's what we look for.
Gaps Around the Roofline
- Loose trim, soffits and fascia
- Gaps around chimneys and flashing
- Openings at gable vents and siding
Bats can squeeze through very small gaps. We inspect the whole outside of the building, not just the spot where you think they came in.
Signs of a Colony
- Droppings that crumble into dust
- Stained or flattened insulation
- Strong ammonia smell
If bats are living in the attic, a few will sometimes wander down into the house through gaps around attic doors, fixtures and ductwork.
How Bats Reach Your Rooms
- Gaps around attic hatches and pull-down stairs
- Openings around light fixtures and vents
- Unsealed chases for pipes and wires
Sealing these interior gaps can keep bats out of your living space even during summer, when the colony itself can't be excluded yet.
How to keep bats out of your house for good
Once the immediate problem is handled, the next step is making sure it doesn't happen again. In New Jersey, bats are protected wildlife, so the only legal way to get a colony out is an exclusion: sealing the openings bats aren't using, putting one-way devices on the main exits so the bats leave and can't come back, and then sealing everything permanently.
Exclusions can only be done at certain times of year:
- April 1–30 and August 1–October 15 — allowed.
- May 1–July 31 — not allowed, because flightless pups would be trapped.
- October 16–March 31 — restricted to protect hibernating bats.
Outside those windows we can still inspect, seal gaps into your living space and book your exclusion date. Full details: bat exclusion season in New Jersey and bat removal and exclusion. Silver Bullet Pest Control is licensed by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, and bat exclusion comes with a 5-year warranty.
Related bat help
Get a Bat Out — and Keep Bats Out
Tell us whether a bat is inside right now and where. If someone may have been exposed, call your health department first — then call us for the building.
Why people call us after a bat in the house
- A bat is loose inside and won't leave
- A bat got in more than once
- Bats seen leaving the roofline at dusk
- Gaps into the living space need sealing
- Booking the next legal exclusion window
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Bat in the House & Rabies FAQ
Is a bat in the house a rabies exposure?
Not by itself. Being in a room or house with a flying bat is typically not considered an exposure, but a bat in a room with a sleeping person, an unattended child, someone who can't say if they were bitten, or anyone who touched it should be contained and reported to your local health department.
I woke up and there was a bat in my bedroom. What should I do?
Don't let the bat go. Contain it safely if you can and call your local health department or doctor right away — after hours, call the police or animal control.
Can you tell if a bat bit you?
Not always. Bat teeth are very small and a bite may not be visible, which is why health officials want to hear about bats found near sleeping people or children.
Who do I call about a bat in New Jersey?
Your local health department if someone may have been exposed, or the NJ Department of Health if you can't reach them. After hours, call the police or animal control. For removal and exclusion, call Silver Bullet Pest Control at 973-510-2585.
Should I let the bat go outside?
Only if everyone was awake and no one had contact with it. If someone may have been exposed, keep it contained so health officials can decide whether it should be tested.
How do I catch a bat safely?
Wear thick leather gloves, wait for it to land, cover it with a container, slide cardboard underneath and tape it shut. If you can't do it safely, keep it shut in the room and call for help.
Will you come remove a bat at night?
Yes. Emergency bat removal is available 24/7 for a bat inside your living space.
Can you get rid of the bats in my attic right away?
A colony can only be excluded April 1–30 and August 1–October 15. Outside those dates we inspect, seal gaps into your living space and book your exclusion.
Do you test bats for rabies?
No. Testing decisions are made by health officials. Contact your local health department or the NJ Department of Health.
¿Qué hago si encuentro un murciélago en la casa?
Si alguien estaba dormido en ese cuarto, si había un niño solo o si alguien lo tocó, no lo suelte: guárdelo en un recipiente y llame al departamento de salud local o a su médico. Para sacarlo y sellar la casa, llame al 973-510-2585 — hablamos español.
Bat removal across North Jersey
Based in Garfield, we remove bats and seal homes in these towns and across Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties.
Updated November 2026 by the Silver Bullet Pest Control team, Garfield, NJ • NJ License 90568B