Hoffman Estates, Illinois · Cook & Kane County · Facts checked Oct 2026
Hoffman Estates police trap or pick up a wild animal at a home only when it threatens someone.
The village police department doesn't trap or pick up wild animals at a home unless the animal is an immediate threat, meaning it's attacking or threatening to attack someone.1 Anything short of that is a nuisance animal complaint, and finding a licensed trapper falls to the homeowner.1
Who handles an animal problem in Hoffman Estates?
| 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.8 |
| A bat is inside your home, or you find a sick or dead bat | Don't handle it. Cook County Animal and Rabies Control asks residents not to handle any wild animal, and to report a sick or dead bat to local animal control or the police.4 In Hoffman Estates that means the police non-emergency line, (847) 781-2800.2 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.8 |
| A wild animal attacking or threatening to attack someone | Call 911 if someone is in danger.2 An immediate threat is the one case where village police will trap or pick up a wild animal.1 |
| Any other worry about a wild animal, including one that looks sick | Hoffman Estates Police non-emergency line: (847) 781-2800.2 |
| A stray dog or cat | Hoffman Estates Police, which responds to domestic animal violations: (847) 781-2800. Not a wildlife operator.2 |
| A calm animal living in your attic, walls, chimney or under the deck | Police treat this as a nuisance animal complaint, and the homeowner contacts a licensed trapper.1 The village also keeps a contracted wildlife service available for these calls.1 A licensed trapper can also be this site's advertiser or anyone on the Illinois DNR list. |
The Wildlife Line isn't part of the Village of Hoffman Estates, Cook County or Kane County.
Is your address on the Cook or Kane side?
The Census places Hoffman Estates in two counties, Cook and Kane.5 For the Kane part, Kane County Animal Control says that if your address is within city limits, your first contact has to be local authorities.6 On the Cook side, the county agency is Cook County Animal and Rabies Control in Bridgeview, (708) 974-6140.4
What does the village ask of homeowners?
- No feeding on the ground. Village Code 7-6-18 says all feed has to go in an approved container or feeder.3 Leftover or spilled food can't be left to build up, and uneaten food on most platform feeders has to be cleared away before sunset.3
- Lids on, all the time. No refuse may be stored in an uncovered container, and carts can't be set at the curb any earlier than 6 p.m. on the evening ahead of collection (Sec. 7-9-1).3
- Dead animals are the property owner's job. The same section makes removing and disposing of a dead animal the responsibility of its owner or the owner of the property.3
- Squirrels and birds are protected in village code. Sec. 7-6-8 makes it illegal to kill or injure a squirrel or bird inside village limits.3
- Check for den sites. The village asks homeowners to look over their property regularly for places a skunk could den, such as sheds, wood piles and junk piles.1 Once an animal is living there, the village says calling a wildlife control company is the homeowner's responsibility.1
Poplar Creek, and spring den season
The Poplar Creek Land and Water Reserve, 572 acres of Forest Preserves of Cook County land roughly bounded by Golf Road, Route 59 and Shoe Factory Road, sits along the village's edge.7 It holds restored prairie, savanna and woodland, a remnant streamside fen, and floodplain around the creek.7 The village notes that spring is den season: coyote pups are often born in April and May, red fox kits can be seen at dens in April and May, and skunk litters are born from early May to early June.1 For a skunk denning under a shed or porch, read animal under the deck. If something has made it indoors, there are separate guides for squirrels, for bats and for a raccoon in a chimney.
On coyotes, the village's advice is to leave no food or water out overnight, including pet food and unsecured garbage, and never to feed them.1 If one comes close, don't engage it: shout, wave your arms or clap.1 Raking up spilled bird seed helps too, since it draws the small animals coyotes hunt, and the village also passes on advice to keep cats in at night.2 As of October 2026, the village's wildlife page says it has had no reports of coyotes attacking pets or people in town.1
What are you hearing?
Scratching above the ceiling, or something moving inside a wall? Noises in the attic at night helps narrow down which animal it is, and after-hours help sorts out what can wait until morning.
Sources for this page
- Village of Hoffman Estates Police Department, Wild Animals. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
- Village of Hoffman Estates Police Department, Police Department, Domesticated Animals and Animal Control. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
- Hoffman Estates Municipal Code, Sec. 7-6-8 and 7-6-18 and Sec. 7-9-1. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
- Cook County, Rabies Prevention and Animal and Rabies Control. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 place-by-county file for Illinois. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
- Kane County Animal Control, FAQ. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Poplar Creek Land and Water Reserve. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
- Illinois Department of Public Health, Rabies (animal bites; bats in a sleeping area). Checked Oct 2026.
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Also: Northwest Cook County · Kane County · Bartlett · Elgin