North Aurora, Illinois · Kane County · Facts checked Oct 2026
North Aurora splits animal control among its code enforcement officer, its police and Kane County.
The village says it has no dog catcher or animal control department of its own, and that it contracts with Kane County Animal Control for certain animal services.1 Its code makes the code enforcement officer the animal control coordinator and gives village police authority to enforce the same rules.2
Who handles an animal problem in North Aurora?
| 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 The village adds that a bite from a dog or any other animal has to be reported to North Aurora Police, (630) 897-8705.1 |
| A bat is loose inside your home | Kane County Animal Control, (630) 232-3555, removes a bat for rabies testing when it was in the room with someone asleep, an infant or a pet. It won't pick up or test a bat that hasn't exposed a person or pet, or one found outdoors, in an attic or in a basement nobody uses.4 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 that might have rabies | Village code says anyone who finds an animal thought to have rabies must report it at once to the police department, the animal control coordinator or Kane County Animal Control.2 Police: (630) 897-8705. Code enforcement, the coordinator's office: (630) 897-8228, ext. 231.1 |
| A sick or injured wild animal in the yard or on the street | Inside village limits, Kane County's FAQ makes local police or animal control the first contact for most injured wildlife.4 North Aurora Police: (630) 897-8705.1 Under a 2014 agreement with the village, Kane County Animal Control agreed to answer calls from North Aurora's police department about sick or injured wildlife outside buildings in the village.5 |
| A hurt or orphaned wild animal someone has rescued | Red Oak Nature Center isn't a rehabilitation center and doesn't accept injured or orphaned animals.6 For the southern part of the county, Kane County Animal Control lists Anderson Humane Wildlife Center at 847-697-2880, ext. 25.4 The Illinois DNR's list of permitted wildlife rehabilitators also includes a permit holder based in North Aurora.9 |
| A stray dog or cat | Inside city limits, Kane County's FAQ makes local authorities the first contact.4 North Aurora Police: (630) 897-8705. The village notes that county animal control picks up stray dogs, not cats.1 Not a wildlife operator. |
| A calm animal living in your attic, walls, chimney or under the deck | For bats colonizing a home, Kane County Animal Control says to contact a nuisance trapper. For any other wild animal trapped in a house or on the property, it points to a licensed nuisance wildlife removal service.4 That can be this site's advertiser or anyone on the Illinois DNR list. |
The Wildlife Line isn't part of the Village of North Aurora or Kane County.
Wild pets, traps, poison and trash under the village code
- Wildlife can't be kept as pets. The code bars keeping wild animals in the village, and the "dangerous animals" it prohibits include skunks and raccoons.2 A prohibited animal found in town can be impounded by the coordinator or handed to the county.2
- Traps can't target pets. Trapping a domestic animal, or trying to, violates the code. The exceptions are authorized village employees, people the coordinator approves in writing, and appropriately licensed nuisance wildlife trappers.2
- No wounding or poisoning. The code lists wounding, killing or knowingly poisoning any animal as cruelty, with one narrow exception written in for rodents.2
- Covered garbage, short curb hours. Household garbage goes in watertight containers with tight-fitting covers, or wrapped in paper or enclosed in plastic, though larger carts supplied by the village's contracted hauler are also allowed.3 Garbage containers and yard-waste bags wait until 3 p.m. on the eve of collection to go out, and the containers come back in by midnight on collection day.3
Riverbank woods, a century-old channel and a guarded nest
Red Oak Nature Center sits on the east bank of the Fox River in North Aurora, ringed by more than 40 acres of forest and wildlife habitat.6 The Fox Valley Park District sends visitors to its observation deck for views of river wildlife, migratory birds, wooded shorelines and islands.6 Lake Run Forest Preserve, which has a North Aurora address on Tanner Road, is an artificial waterway created between 1911 and 1913.7 The forest preserve district bought it with an eye to someday linking Dick Young and Aurora West forest preserves.7
In June 2022, the village posted a warning about a red-winged blackbird nest at North Aurora Riverfront Park, near the lower end of Water Wonders.8 The notice said the birds guard their nests closely and will swoop down to protect them.8 If something has made its way indoors instead, start with whichever fits: a raccoon down the flue, a bat in the house or something denning under a deck.
Only hearing it, not seeing it?
Sounds in the ceiling or walls can be narrowed down with the attic noise guide, and after-hours help sorts out which problems can hold off and which can't.
Sources for this page
- Village of North Aurora, Does North Aurora have a dog catcher? (the page's contact block lists the police and code enforcement numbers). Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- North Aurora Municipal Code (hosted by Municode), Title 6, sections 6.04.010, definitions, 6.04.020, animal control, 6.04.030, keeping of animals, 6.04.100, rabies infected animals, 6.12.020, cruelty and 6.12.040, trapping. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- North Aurora Municipal Code (hosted by Municode), sections 8.12.030, storage of garbage and 8.12.040, collection. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Kane County Animal Control, FAQ. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Kane County, Agreement for Animal Control Services with the Village of North Aurora (Resolution 13-227 file, signed March 2014). Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Fox Valley Park District, Red Oak Nature Center and Plan Your Visit. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Forest Preserve District of Kane County, Lake Run Forest Preserve. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Village of North Aurora, Warning About Red-Wing Blackbirds at North Aurora Riverfront Park (June 9, 2022). Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Permits to Rehabilitate Illinois Fauna (list as of Sept. 25, 2026). Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Illinois Department of Public Health, Rabies (animal bites; bats in a sleeping area). Checked Oct 2026.
Written and checked by The Wildlife Line. Spot an error? Tell us through the About page.
Also: Kane County · Batavia · Geneva · St. Charles