West Dundee, Illinois · Kane County · Facts checked Oct 2026
Under village code, any member of the West Dundee police department is an animal control warden.
The village's animal control chapter defines its animal control warden as any member of the village police department.1 Officers are sent out by the QuadCom Regional Dispatch Center in Carpentersville, and the department gives QuadCom's non-emergency number, (847) 428-8784, as the way to reach police.2 Getting a wild animal out of a house or yard, by Kane County's account, takes a licensed nuisance wildlife removal service that the homeowner contacts.5
Who handles an animal problem in West Dundee?
| 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 in a bedroom or other room | The county's animal control office will take a bat for testing if it turned up near a sleeping, intoxicated or otherwise incapacitated person, an infant or an animal in that room.5 A bat outdoors, in the attic or in an unused basement isn't picked up.5 In an incorporated village, the county asks people to go to their police department first, which here means QuadCom at (847) 428-8784.5, 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 |
| Signs of rabies in a wild animal | Don't go near it. Inside a town's limits, Kane County says to call local police or animal control so the animal can be captured for testing.5 West Dundee police: QuadCom non-emergency, (847) 428-8784,2 or 911 in an emergency.3 |
| A coyote attack in progress, or a coyote at a school or menacing children | Treat it as an emergency and dial 911, Kane County says.5 |
| A carcass on a West Dundee street | For a carcass on a roadway or its easement inside a town, Kane County points to that town's public works department.5 West Dundee Public Works: (847) 551-3815, weekdays 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.3 |
| An injured wild animal | A wildlife rehabilitator. Kane County refers people to Flint Creek Wildlife, (847) 842-8000.5 The park district's Randall Oaks Zoo, on North Randall Road, answers a different question, about animals people can no longer care for: it gets many offers of wild animals and exotic pets each year and can't accept them.7 |
| A stray dog or cat | West Dundee police, through QuadCom, (847) 428-8784.2 Village code allows a dog found running at large to be picked up and impounded.1 Not a wildlife operator. |
| A calm animal living in your attic, walls, chimney or under the deck | Hire a licensed operator. For bats that have set up a colony in the house, Kane County likewise says to bring in a nuisance trapper.5 That can be this site's advertiser or anyone on the Illinois DNR list. |
The Wildlife Line isn't part of the Village of West Dundee or Kane County.
Is it legal to feed wildlife or put up bird feeders here?
- Feeding can be a nuisance violation. Sec. 6-3-1-7 declares it a public nuisance, and unlawful, to feed cats or wildlife other than birds, by hand or by leaving food out, when that creates or could create a hazard to public health or safety.1
- Five feeders, five feet up. Bird feeders have to sit at least 5 feet off the ground and hold a seed blend meant for birds; a residence can have no more than five, and none may go on public property.1 The code also says feeders should be designed or protected to keep other species out of the seed.1
- Food scraps under a lid. Sec. 4-2-3 requires food waste to be stored in a clean, leakproof container with a tight-fitting lid.4
- Thursday night at the earliest. Refuse goes to the curb no earlier than the evening before collection, usually Thursday evening for Friday pickup; in the six holiday weeks, pickup moves to Saturday and the earliest is Friday evening.3
The river on one side, wetlands on the other
The Fox River forms the village's eastern border.3 The West Dundee Riverwalk follows it from Main Street (Route 72) to the village's northern edge, and the village lists bird watching among the reasons to go.3 Binnie Forest Preserve, run by the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, has a West Dundee address at 38W040 Binnie Road.6 The district bought its first 119 acres there in 1969 to protect the wetlands, whose pockets form the headwaters of the Kishwaukee River, and visitors use its mowed trails for bird watching and wildlife viewing.6 A Dundee Township open space addition next to the preserve adds to the natural area.6 Should one of those animals end up indoors, the guides on bats in the house, raccoons in chimneys, squirrels in the attic and dens under decks cover what to check next.
What are you hearing?
Pattering above the bedroom, or gnawing behind the drywall? Read noises in the attic at night to narrow the list of suspects by when the sound happens. Already dark out? After-hours help walks through whether to call now or in the morning.
Sources for this page
- West Dundee Village Code, Title 6, Chapter 3, Animal Control (Sec. 6-3-1 and 6-3-1-1) and Sec. 6-3-1-7, Nuisance Feeding Prohibited. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Village of West Dundee, Police Department. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Village of West Dundee, Refuse, Yard Waste & Recycling, West Dundee History and the Welcome to West Dundee resident kit (PDF). Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- West Dundee Village Code, Sec. 4-2-3, Collection Provisions. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Kane County Animal Control, FAQ. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Forest Preserve District of Kane County, Binnie Forest Preserve. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Dundee Township Park District, Randall Oaks Zoo FAQ and Randall Oaks Zoo. 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: Kane County · Carpentersville · Elgin