How to Get Rid of Bats on a Porch, Legally and Humanely

Bats roosting on a porch are protected in most places and cannot be sealed in. Exclusion timing, the maternity season, and what to do about droppings.

By Zakaria September 21, 2026 5 min read Save to Pinterest

A brown bat wedged into the narrow gap between the trim board and soffit of a building — Photo: Bearerofthecup, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Two things make this different from most wildlife problems: bats are protected nearly everywhere, and sealing them in is both illegal and the worst available outcome.

The short answer

Bats roost on a porch because it is dark, sheltered and undisturbed, and because insects gather at the lights. A bright light on the roost spot, a fan for air movement, and warm amber bulbs to cut the insects will often move them within a few nights. Bats are protected almost everywhere — an offence to kill, injure or disturb in the UK and EU, and varying by state in the US with several species federally listed — so check your wildlife agency before any work. Exclusion must happen outside the maternity season, roughly May to August, when flightless pups would be sealed in. Never handle a bat, and never sweep dry guano.

Protected nearly everywhere. Check before doing anything
Never exclude May–August — flightless pups are in the roost
Light, a fan, and amber bulbs move most porch roosts
One-way doors, never sealing where they use a gap
Never handle a bat. Never sweep guano dry

The legal position first

UK and EU: an offence to kill, injure or disturb bats, or damage or obstruct a roost — and a roost is protected whether or not bats are in it at the time. Professional advice is required before work
United States: varies by state, and several species are federally listed as endangered or threatened, partly because of white-nose syndrome, which has killed bats in enormous numbers. Lethal control and roost destruction are prohibited in many places
Check your own wildlife agency, not a pest control advertisement

Never exclude during the maternity season

Roughly May to August, mothers leave flightless pups in the roost while they hunt.

An exclusion during that window seals the pups in to starve. It is inhumane, it is illegal in most jurisdictions, and it leaves dead animals in your structure.

If in doubt, wait. A few more weeks of droppings is a far better outcome.

Why your porch

Three things, all of which you can change:

Dark, sheltered and undisturbed — the corner where ceiling meets wall
Insects at the lights. A white porch light is a moth magnet, and moths are dinner
A gap into a soffit, wall void or shutter, if they are getting inside

Moving a porch roost

Start here, because for an open-porch roost it usually works and it is legal everywhere:

Bright light on the roost corner. An LED work light or a security lamp, left on at night
Air movement. A fan is remarkably effective — bats dislike disturbed air
Warm amber or yellow bulbs on the porch itself, which cuts the insects that drew them
Switch off decorative lighting and close blinds so indoor light stops spilling out
Give them somewhere else. A bat box on a pole or a tree, 12 to 20 feet up, south or south-east facing, well away from the house

Give it a few nights. Bats are creatures of habit and do not abandon a roost the first evening.

A bat box is not a consolation prize

A single small brown bat eats a substantial number of insects in a night, mosquitoes among them.

Moving a colony from the porch to a box at the bottom of the garden is the best outcome available here — you lose the droppings, and you keep the bats.

If they are getting into the structure

This is exclusion work, and the method is fixed.

Confirm the season. Not May to August
Watch at dusk for several evenings and find every exit point — there are usually more than you think
Seal all but the main exits, with caulk, mesh or foam
Fit one-way exclusion doors on the remaining exits: netting or sheeting hung above the gap and open at the bottom, so bats drop out and cannot climb back in
Leave it four to seven nights of decent weather
Confirm the roost is empty — watch again at dusk
Seal permanently
Then clean up

Never seal a gap without a one-way door first. Trapped bats die inside the structure and sometimes come out into the house looking for a way back.

In the UK and EU, get advice before starting. In the US, a licensed wildlife operator is worth the money for anything inside a wall.

Droppings

Guano, by situation

Situation	Approach
A scatter on an open porch	Low risk. Damp it, wash it off
Accumulation in an attic or void	Professional job
Any confined space	N95 respirator, gloves, ventilate
Dry sweeping	Never — it aerosolises spores

Always dampen first with a mist of water, bag the material rather than brushing it about, and wear a respirator in anything enclosed. Accumulated guano can harbour Histoplasma, the fungus behind histoplasmosis, which is a genuine respiratory risk indoors and a minor one outdoors.

A board or tarp under the roost catches droppings while you work through the timing, which is often the practical answer during the maternity season.

Rabies, honestly stated

Bats do not attack people and want nothing to do with you. But:

Never handle a bat. A bat on the ground or active by day may be sick
Any bite or scratch warrants immediate medical advice
A bat found in a room where someone was sleeping, or with a child, counts as an exposure even with no visible bite — a bat’s teeth can leave a wound too small to see
Vaccinate pets. Cats bring bats indoors

That is the whole of the risk, and it is managed by not touching them.

What does not work

Ultrasonic repellers — widely sold, do not work
Mothballs — no effect, and illegal used this way
Chemical repellents — none registered for bats in most jurisdictions
Sticky deterrents — cruel, and they trap and kill
Sealing while they are inside — illegal, and leaves dead animals in your walls

Common questions

How do I get bats off my porch?

Change the conditions before trying to remove anything. Bats roost on a porch because the spot is dark, sheltered and undisturbed and because insects gather at the lights, so a bright light aimed at the roost corner, a fan creating air movement, and switching porch lights to warm amber bulbs to cut the insects will often move them within a few nights. If they are using a gap into a wall or soffit, that needs a one-way exclusion door rather than sealing, and only outside the maternity season.

Is it legal to remove bats?

Bats are protected almost everywhere, and the protection is real. In the UK and across the EU it is an offence to kill, injure or disturb bats or to damage a roost, and professional advice must be sought before any work. In the United States protection varies by state and several species are federally listed as endangered or threatened, so lethal control and roost destruction are prohibited in many places. Exclusion is generally permitted outside the maternity season — check your own wildlife agency first, not a pest control advertisement.

When can bats be excluded?

Outside the maternity season, which in most of North America and Europe runs from roughly May to August. During that window flightless pups are left in the roost while the mothers hunt, and an exclusion seals them in to starve — which is both inhumane and illegal in most jurisdictions. Late summer after the young are flying, and early autumn before hibernation, are the usual permitted windows. If in doubt, wait: a few weeks of droppings is a far better outcome than dead pups in a wall.

Are bats on a porch dangerous?

Not in the ordinary sense — bats do not attack people and want nothing to do with you. Two real cautions apply. A bat found on the ground or behaving oddly should never be handled, since it may be sick, and rabies is the one genuine risk: any bite, scratch or a bat found in a room where someone was sleeping warrants immediate medical advice, because a bat bite can be too small to notice. Accumulated droppings in a confined space can also carry the fungus that causes histoplasmosis.

How do I clean up bat droppings?

Carefully, and never dry. Accumulated guano in a confined space can harbour Histoplasma spores, which become airborne when disturbed, so dampen the droppings with a mist of water first, wear gloves and an N95 respirator, ventilate the area, and bag the material rather than sweeping it about. On an open porch a small scatter is a low risk and a wash-down with a hose is enough. A large accumulation inside an attic or wall is a job for a professional.

What repels bats?

Light, air movement and the absence of insects — and very little else. Ultrasonic devices are widely sold for this and do not work, mothballs are ineffective and illegal used this way, and there is no registered chemical repellent for bats in most jurisdictions. A bright light on the roost spot, a fan, and warm amber bulbs to stop drawing moths address the three things that made the porch attractive, and a bat box put up nearby gives them an alternative to move to.

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Hardened bat guano deposits crusted on a cave wall, lit by torchlight

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