Bartlett crosses three county lines, so the right number can depend on your address.

Who handles an animal problem in Bartlett?

What's happening	Who to call
Someone was bitten or scratched by a wild animal	Wash the wound with soap and water and see a doctor right away. The health department or animal control should also be told.10 Which agency takes the report depends on your county; see the next section.
A bat is loose inside your home	DuPage County's health department says not to kill it or let it outside until you've spoken with animal control and public health, and, if it's safe, to cover it with a bucket or can and close the door to the room.5 Cook County's bat sheet also says to keep a bat in a bedroom shut in that room and have the local animal control agency capture it.6 If you woke up with it in the room, or it was near a child, keep the bat and call your doctor or the health department.10
A wild animal acting sick or aggressive	Bartlett Police: 911 in an emergency, otherwise (630) 837-0846.3 In the Kane part, Kane County makes local authorities the first call for any address inside city limits.7
A stray dog or cat	Bartlett Police non-emergency, (630) 837-0846.3 DuPage County's advice for a stray pet is to call local non-emergency police, or 911, to be pointed to the right agency.5 Not a wildlife operator.
A calm animal living in your attic, walls, chimney or under the deck	Bartlett's wildlife page sends homeowners with a nuisance animal to the Wildlife Illinois website to contact a licensed trapper.2 That can be this site's advertiser or anyone on the Illinois DNR list.

The Wildlife Line isn't part of the Village of Bartlett or Cook, DuPage or Kane County.

Which county's numbers apply to your part of town?

The three counties give different numbers and steps:

• DuPage part. A possible human rabies exposure goes to the DuPage County Health Department at (630) 221-7553, or (630) 682-7400 after hours.⁵ Every animal bite to a person in DuPage County is reported to DuPage County Animal Services, (630) 407-2800.⁵
• Cook part. Bites to people are reported to local police, and Bartlett's non-emergency line is (630) 837-0846.^{6, 3} For bite questions, Cook County Animal and Rabies Control is at (708) 974-6140.⁶ After a bat in a bedroom, Cook County also says to call your family doctor about anyone who may have been exposed.⁶
• Kane part. Kane County Animal Control says that when a wild animal is stuck inside a home or on the property, the homeowner has to bring in a licensed nuisance wildlife removal service for it.⁷

Feeders, compost and poison: the village rules

• Up to four feeders. The village's wildlife page says Bartlett allows at most four bird feeders hung from trees, at least 4 feet off the ground and filled with seed meant for birds.² Fallen seed should be cleaned up, because it draws raccoons, opossums, squirrels and skunks.²
• No food scraps in a compost pile. Village Code 4-2-5(B)(1) keeps them out of backyard compost piles because they can attract animals.⁴
• Take away food and shelter. The village advises never putting food scraps outside, keeping garbage in solid containers with secure lids, using sealed compost bins, and closing off the space under decks, sheds, patios and porches with welded wire.²
• No poison, no unpermitted removal. The page says poisoning wildlife is strictly prohibited.² It also says removing an animal without the proper permits is illegal, and only leaves an empty space for another animal to move into.²

For more on living alongside wildlife, the village refers residents to Willowbrook Wildlife Center, (630) 942-6200.²

Where the open land is, and when bats are busiest

Big stretches of preserved land touch the village. James "Pate" Philip State Park is on Stearns Road in Bartlett, with the north branch of Brewster Creek flowing through it, and it adjoins the 3,432-acre Pratt's Wayne Woods Forest Preserve to the south.⁸ Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve, also in Bartlett, has 5.6 miles of trails that connect to the Mallard Lake and West Branch preserves.⁹ If an animal has made the move from land like this into a house, start with bats in the house, squirrels in the attic or an animal under the deck or porch.

Bats are most active in summer.⁵ DuPage County Animal Services counted six rabid bats in the county by Aug. 16, 2026, four of them confirmed in a single week, and county officials said many were found inside homes.¹¹ The state's map listed 14 for the county by Oct. 21.¹²

What are you hearing?

Noise overhead, but no idea what's causing it? Attic noises at night compares the usual suspects by sound and timing. Heard it late in the evening? Read after-hours help before deciding whether to call tonight.

Sources for this page

1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 place-by-county file for Illinois. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
2. Village of Bartlett, Living With Wildlife. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
3. Village of Bartlett, Police Department. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
4. Bartlett Village Code, Sec. 4-2-5, Back Yard Compost Piles. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
5. DuPage County Health Department, Prevent Rabies: Be Safe, Never Touch a Bat (PDF), July 29, 2026. Checked Nov 2, 2026.
6. Cook County, Animal Bite Investigation and bat information sheet (PDF). Checked Oct 21, 2026.
7. Kane County Animal Control, FAQ. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
8. Illinois Department of Natural Resources, James "Pate" Philip State Park. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
9. Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Hawk Hollow. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
10. Illinois Department of Public Health, Rabies (animal bites; bats in a sleeping area). Checked Oct 2026.
11. Downers Grove Wire, Aug. 24, 2026, reporting DuPage County Animal Services' count. Checked Nov 2, 2026.
12. Illinois Department of Public Health, Rabies Surveillance Map, updated Oct. 21, 2026. Checked Nov 2, 2026.

Written and checked by The Wildlife Line. Spot an error? Tell us through the About page.

Also: Northwest Cook County · Kane County · Elgin · South Elgin