Crystal Lake, Illinois · McHenry County · Facts checked Oct 2026
Every animal complaint in Crystal Lake is answered by McHenry County.
The city code hands animal control to the county. McHenry County answers all animal complaints inside the city, and those calls go to the county's animal control center or the sheriff's department.1 County animal control isn't able to disturb healthy wildlife, and it points homeowners to a wildlife removal service for those cases.2
Who handles an animal problem in Crystal Lake?
| 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.9 Under the city code, the county carries out every animal bite investigation inside city limits.1 |
| A bat is loose inside your home | 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.9 Report a possible bat exposure to McHenry County Animal Control, (815) 459-6222.2 |
| A wild animal that seems sick, hurt or dangerous | McHenry County Animal Control, (815) 459-6222. Its wildlife permits reach only animals that are sick or injured, or that pose an immediate threat or public health issue.2 The city code lists suspected rabid animals among the emergency calls the county answers at any hour.1 For an emergency, the city's phone list gives 911.4 |
| A dead animal on the road | On a road the city maintains, the Street Division picks it up: (815) 356-3614. On a state road such as Route 176, Route 31 or Route 14, call the Illinois Department of Transportation at (815) 338-4680.3 |
| A stray dog or cat | McHenry County Animal Control, (815) 459-6222. The city code gives the county the job of catching and impounding strays inside the city.1 Not a wildlife operator. |
| A calm animal living in your attic, walls, chimney or under the deck | Healthy wildlife is off-limits to McHenry County Animal Control, which says a wildlife removal service can help where it can't.2 That can be this site's advertiser or anyone on the Illinois DNR list. |
The Wildlife Line isn't part of the City of Crystal Lake or McHenry County.
What does Crystal Lake's code say about animal calls?
Article II of Chapter 166 in the city code lists the animal control services McHenry County provides for the city under an agreement.1 The parts a resident is most likely to run into:
- The county takes the calls. Animal complaints are made to the McHenry County Animal Control Center or the sheriff's department, which relays them to the county officer on duty.1
- Routine calls wait after 9 p.m. Routine animal complaints aren't answered after 9:00 p.m. Emergency calls are answered at any time.1
- What counts as an emergency. The code's list includes animal bites, suspected rabid animals and animals considered dangerous to public health.1
- An agreement, not a city office. The section was last amended in 2007 and refers to "the current Animal Control Agreement," so the county is the place to confirm any detail.1
The city's own list of important numbers matches: it gives the police department at (815) 356-3620 and lists animal control at the county's number.4
Have rabid bats been found here?
More than once. In August 2020 the McHenry County Department of Health reported a rabid bat found inside a Crystal Lake home, with no human exposure reported.5 In August 2024 it confirmed that a bat discovered in Crystal Lake had tested positive, the county's first rabid bat of that season.6 County animal control collected that bat, and because the household had been exposed, the health department advised starting post-exposure treatment (PEP).6 For bats that are living in the house rather than passing through, see bats in the house.
Where does the wildlife live nearby?
The McHenry County Conservation District's Prairieview Education Center, at 2112 Behan Road in Crystal Lake, opens onto the prairie, savanna and wetland of Silver Creek Conservation Area.7 The district writes that songbirds, hawks and owls fly among its oak and hickory trees, while deer, coyotes and the occasional red fox travel below.7
In Veteran Acres Park, the Crystal Lake Park District's Wingate Prairie is 39 acres of rare gravel hill prairie, made an Illinois Nature Preserve in 1994.8 The park district counts the Franklin's ground squirrel among the rare and endangered species that live there.8 When something has moved indoors instead, pick the guide that matches: chimney raccoons, attic squirrels, bats in living space or a burrow beneath the deck.
What are you hearing?
Scratching overhead, chattering in a vent or a thump in the wall? The attic-noise guide helps tell one animal's sounds from another's. And since the county holds routine complaints after 9 p.m., after-hours help explains which late-night problems can't wait.
Sources for this page
- City of Crystal Lake Code, Chapter 166, Animals, § 166-2, List of services provided. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- McHenry County Department of Health, Animal Control, Wildlife. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- City of Crystal Lake, FAQ: Will you pick up a dead animal in the roadway? Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- City of Crystal Lake, Important Phone Numbers to Know. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- McHenry County Department of Health, Health Department reports rabid bat found in Crystal Lake, Aug. 21, 2020. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- McHenry County Department of Health, Bat in McHenry County tests positive for rabies, first of 2024 season, Aug. 15, 2024. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- McHenry County Conservation District, Prairieview Education Center. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Crystal Lake Park District, Natural Areas. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Illinois Department of Public Health, Rabies (animal bites; bats in a sleeping area). Checked Oct 2026.
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Also: McHenry County · Cary · Lake in the Hills · Algonquin