Yes, it is illegal to kill bats in Iowa. All seven bat species found in the state are protected under Iowa’s endangered and threatened wildlife laws, and killing, trapping, or otherwise harming one without authorization is a criminal offense. A conviction carries a fine of up to $855, up to 30 days in jail, and a mandatory $1,000 restitution payment to the state for each animal. When the bat is also federally listed, the same act can trigger federal penalties of up to $50,000 and a year in prison.
Every Bat in Iowa Is Protected
Iowa lists seven bat species as either endangered or threatened. Four are endangered: the Indiana bat, the northern long-eared bat, the little brown bat, and the tri-colored bat. Three are threatened: the silver-haired bat, the eastern red bat, and the hoary bat.1Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Iowa Threatened and Endangered Animal Species Together they cover essentially every bat you are likely to encounter in the state, so assume any bat you find is a protected species.
Two of them also carry federal endangered status. The Indiana bat has been federally listed since 1967.2U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) The northern long-eared bat was reclassified from threatened to endangered in 2022 after white-nose syndrome devastated its population.3U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Northern Long-eared Bat Because you usually cannot identify a bat’s species on sight, treat every encounter as if federal law applies.
What Iowa Law Prohibits
Iowa Code Chapter 481B governs endangered and threatened species. Under Section 481B.5, it is illegal to harm, capture, kill, possess, transport, buy, or sell any species on the state or federal endangered or threatened lists.4Justia. Iowa Code 481B.5 – Prohibitions The statute defines “take” broadly to include harassing, pursuing, wounding, trapping, and collecting a protected animal, plus any attempt to do so.5Iowa Legislature. Iowa Code Chapter 481B – Endangered Plants and Wildlife
That means you cannot kill a bat in your attic, trap one and drive it somewhere else, or destroy a roosting colony. Indirect harm counts too. Sealing off a building entrance while bats are still inside can qualify as an unlawful take if bats die as a result. The only lawful ways to interact with protected bats are the permit and exception routes described further down.
Penalties for Killing a Bat
State Criminal Fine and Jail Time
A violation of Chapter 481B is a simple misdemeanor.6Justia. Iowa Code 481B.10 – Penalties In Iowa, that means a fine between $105 and $855 and up to 30 days in jail.7Iowa Legislature. Iowa Code 903.1 – Maximum Sentence for Misdemeanants Each animal is a separate violation. Disturb a colony of twenty bats and you are looking at twenty separate charges.
Mandatory $1,000 Per-Animal Restitution
On top of the criminal fine, Iowa requires anyone convicted of unlawfully killing or injuring wildlife to reimburse the state. For each endangered or threatened animal, that amount is $1,000.8Iowa Legislature. Iowa Code 481A.130 – Damages in Addition to Penalty Restitution stacks on top of the fine, it does not replace it. One protected bat means the fine plus $1,000. Twelve bats means twelve fines plus $12,000. The numbers add up quickly.
Federal Penalties
When the bat is also federally listed, the Endangered Species Act applies alongside state law. A person who knowingly kills a federally endangered species faces a criminal fine of up to $50,000, up to a year in prison, or both.9U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Endangered Species Act – Section 11: Penalties and Enforcement Civil penalties of up to $500 per incident can apply even without a knowing violation. Federal prosecution is more common when the harm involves large numbers of animals, commercial activity, or a pattern of conduct, but any unauthorized take of a federally listed species can technically trigger these penalties.
What to Do About Bats in Your Home
Most people asking about Iowa’s bat laws have a bat in their house, not a hunting plan. You can get bats out of your home legally, but the method and timing matter.
A Single Bat Inside
If a lone bat flies into your living space, the Iowa DNR recommends opening exterior doors and windows and closing interior ones to let it leave on its own. If it lands, you can cover it with a container, slide cardboard underneath, and release it outside after dark by holding the container against a tree or wall so the bat can cling and take off. Bats cannot launch from the ground.10Iowa Department of Natural Resources. What to Do When There Are Bats in Your House or Yard Wear gloves if you have to touch it.
Do not release the bat if anyone had direct contact with it or if it was found in a room with a sleeping person or a young child. Contain it and contact your local health department about rabies testing.
A Colony in the Attic or Walls
You cannot seal a colony in, poison them, or exterminate them. The legal approach is exclusion: one-way exits that let bats leave and prevent re-entry, followed by sealing every other opening once the colony is gone.
Timing is critical. The Iowa DNR advises doing exclusion work in September or October, after the summer’s young bats are old enough to fly.10Iowa Department of Natural Resources. What to Do When There Are Bats in Your House or Yard Excluding before August traps flightless pups inside, where they die. That can violate the endangered species statute and creates the odor and pest problems you were trying to avoid. Waiting for bats to fly out at night and sealing the opening behind them does not work either. Not every bat leaves every night, and some stay in during storms.
Hiring a Removal Company
Anyone charging a fee to remove nuisance wildlife in Iowa must hold a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator permit from the DNR.11Iowa Legislature. Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 571-114 – Nuisance Wildlife Control Verify the permit is current before you hire. An unlicensed operator may not know the timing and method restrictions, and you can end up with dead bats in your walls and legal exposure of your own.
Iowa Code Section 481A.87 does allow property owners to remove nuisance wildlife from their own property without an NWCO permit. The endangered species protections in Chapter 481B still apply. A homeowner who kills a protected bat during a removal attempt faces the same penalties as anyone else. Exclusion, not extermination, is the only method that stays clearly within the law.
When Killing or Taking a Bat Can Be Authorized
The endangered species statute is not absolute. The Director of the Iowa DNR can issue permits for capture, possession, purchase, sale, or transportation of endangered or threatened species for scientific research, zoological purposes, educational programs, or captive propagation aimed at species survival.12Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Threatened and Endangered Wildlife
The DNR can also authorize a take when a property owner shows good cause, such as the need to reduce property damage or protect human health.12Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Threatened and Endangered Wildlife Applications are evaluated case by case, weighing the proposed activity against the survival needs of the species involved.
For work affecting federally listed species like the Indiana bat or northern long-eared bat, a separate federal permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may also be required. Federal permits run on their own application process and standards. If your project involves habitat disturbance where federally listed bats are known to roost, the state permit alone is not enough.