St. Charles, Illinois · Kane & DuPage County · Facts checked Oct 2026
A 911 call about an animal in St. Charles sends an officer to size it up.
The police department's own advice is not to hesitate to dial 911 for an animal problem.1 The officer who responds works out whether the city can help, and if it can't, may point you to Kane County Animal Control or a private service.1 If the trouble is a wild animal stuck inside the house, the county's animal control FAQ sends that work to licensed nuisance wildlife removal services.11
Who handles an animal problem in St. Charles?
| 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.12 |
| 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.12 The Kane County Health Department's number for a bite or a possible bat exposure is (630) 208-3801.8 Otherwise, the city's advice for any animal problem is to dial 911.1 |
| An injured wild animal, or a stray dog, in your yard or on your block | Keep your distance, get indoors if you can, and dial 911.1 The Tri-Com dispatcher will want to know what kind of animal it is, what seems wrong, and why you think so.1 |
| A lost or found pet | The city sends these to Kane County Animal Control at (630) 232-3555.1 It's not a job for a wildlife operator. |
| Reporting an animal ordinance violation | A service request through St. Charles Connect, or the police non-emergency line, (630) 377-4435.1 The city monitors service requests only on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.1 |
| Your St. Charles address is outside city limits | In unincorporated Kane County, Kane County Animal Control takes the report directly: (630) 232-3555.11 |
| A calm animal living in your attic, walls, chimney or under the deck | Kane County's answer for a wild animal stuck in a house is a licensed nuisance wildlife removal service, and for a bat colony, a nuisance trapper.11 That can be this site's advertiser or anyone on the Illinois DNR list. |
The Wildlife Line isn't part of the City of St. Charles or Kane County.
Does the DuPage side of town call someone else?
The Census Bureau places St. Charles in DuPage County as well as Kane.9 Inside city limits, both county agencies point you back to the city.10, 11 Kane County Animal Control says local authorities must be the first contact for an address within city limits,11 and DuPage County Animal Services tells people who live in a town to call their own police department about wildlife.10 DuPage's animal officers respond only in unincorporated parts of that county.10
Four lines in the city code worth knowing
- Killing an animal is off limits in St. Charles unless the law provides for it (section 9.60.030).3
- Poisoned bait is mostly barred. Setting out poison where pets or wild animals can get to it, meaning to kill or harm them, isn't allowed, with narrow exceptions such as pest control the City Sanitarian has approved as safe for animals other than the target (section 6.12.040).2
- Don't bury a dead animal in the yard. Burying a dead animal anywhere in the city counts as a nuisance, and so does tossing one into a street, a public place or public water (section 6.12.070).2
- Pickup day sets the trash clock. Covered garbage containers can sit on the parkway starting the day before collection, have to be out by 6:30 a.m., and have to be pulled back by 8 p.m. (section 8.24.030).4 Anywhere in the city, garbage has to be kept in a tightly covered container (section 8.24.050).4
Locking lids and morning set-out: the coyote plan
The city and the St. Charles Park District developed a joint coyote management plan.5 It explains that suburbs give coyotes plenty of food, water and shelter, and that they'll eat from trash cans, pet dishes left outside and garden plants.5 Its checklist goes a step past the trash code: lock the lids, and wait until the morning of pickup to put containers at the curb.5 It also suggests blocking off the space under decks and sheds and around woodpiles, where coyotes or the smaller animals they hunt can take cover.5 Something already living under there is covered in the animal under the deck guide.
How close to the backyard do beavers and deer live?
Ferson Creek Forest Preserve in St. Charles is one stretch of a greenbelt and wildlife corridor running along Ferson and Otter creeks, and the Forest Preserve District of Kane County notes a high beaver population there.6 The park district cares for more than 500 acres of natural areas of its own, including fens, wetlands, prairies and woods.7 Its wildlife lists name beaver at Delnor Woods Park and white-tailed deer at Norris Woods and Hickory Knolls.7 When an animal from outdoors ends up indoors, the guides on squirrels overhead, a bat in the house and a raccoon in the chimney walk through what to do.
Was there a rabid bat near St. Charles this year?
Yes. In late August 2026, the Kane County Health Department reported that a bat found Aug. 16 behind a home in unincorporated St. Charles had tested positive for rabies, with the state confirming the result.8 The department warns that a bat's teeth are so small a bite may not be noticed, and that finding a bat inside a home may itself count as a possible exposure, especially if someone could have touched it.8
Need help naming the noise?
Sounds above the ceiling or behind drywall are sorted out in noises in the attic at night. When the trouble starts after business hours, after-hours help explains what can wait.
Sources for this page
- City of St. Charles, Frequently Asked Questions: Police Department. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- St. Charles Municipal Code, Chapter 6.12, Regulations, sections 6.12.040 and 6.12.070. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- St. Charles Municipal Code, Chapter 9.60, section 9.60.030. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- St. Charles Municipal Code, Chapter 8.24, Garbage and Refuse, sections 8.24.030 and 8.24.050. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- City of St. Charles and St. Charles Park District, Coyote Management Plan (posted by the park district). Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Forest Preserve District of Kane County, Ferson Creek Forest Preserve. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- St. Charles Park District, Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, Natural Areas. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Kane County Health Department, Rabid Bat Confirmed in Unincorporated St. Charles (Aug. 28, 2026). Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 places by county, Illinois. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- DuPage County Animal Services, Animal Concerns. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Kane County Animal Control, FAQ. 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 · Geneva · Campton Hills · South Elgin