Wildlife Removal in Florence, SC
Raccoons, squirrels, bats and the rest across Florence County: what is likely in your house, what it costs to get out, and what South Carolina law requires.
- Sourced from SC DNR published rules
- Independent; we do not perform removals
- Quotes only from licensed operators
- Free, and no obligation
Florence sits on the flat, sandy coastal plain of the Pee Dee, among farmland, blackwater rivers and swamp. Most houses here sit over a crawlspace rather than a basement, and on a high water table those crawlspaces stay humid all year. That brings insects, which bring the animals that eat them, and soft, sandy ground is easy to burrow into. Bats, snakes, opossums and armadillos are regular calls in Florence County as a result. South Carolina treats wildlife damage as the property owner’s responsibility, so this site explains your options and connects you with licensed operators across Florence, Darlington, Hartsville, Lake City and the surrounding towns.
What turns up in Florence houses
Raccoons
Crawlspaces do most of the work here. Where the rest of the country pictures a raccoon in the attic, on the Pee Dee coastal plain the ground floor sits over a vented crawlspace and that is the easier target: warm, dry relative to outside, and screened with material that is usually older than it looks.
$300 – $600 for removal; far more if the attic needs restoring
Raccoon removal →Squirrels
Flat country and mature street trees means canopy that connects along a street rather than up a slope, and squirrels travel it. The local detail is humidity: soffit and fascia timber on the coastal plain softens faster than it does inland, and soft timber is where a squirrel gets started with very little effort.
$300 – $550 typical
Squirrel removal →Bats
South Carolina is genuinely different on bats and it is worth knowing before you call anyone. Unlike Georgia or North Carolina, the state does not require a permit to exclude bats.
$400 – $600 small colony · $500 – $1,200 typical · $5,000 – $8,500 for a large colony
Bat removal →Opossums
The vented crawlspace again. Screens rust and tear on this coast faster than people replace them, and an opossum needs nothing more than a torn corner.
$250 – $500 typical
Opossum removal →Armadillos
Armadillos are a relatively recent arrival in South Carolina compared with the Gulf states, and a lot of people here have simply never dealt with one. Sandy Pee Dee soil suits them very well.
$250 – $550 typical
Armadillo removal →Snakes
Blackwater rivers and swamp run through this whole region, so snakes are part of the landscape rather than an event. Most are harmless.
$150 – $400 for removal of a single snake
Snake removal →Skunks
Under a crawlspace, a shed or a porch, and the sandy soil makes the excavation easy. The thing that makes it worse here than elsewhere is the crawlspace: a discharge under a floor on a humid coastal plain does not air out, it soaks into the joists and the ductwork and stays.
$300 – $550 typical
Skunk removal →Birds
Vents, gable louvres and chimneys, and the same federal rule as everywhere: only pigeons, European starlings and house sparrows are outside the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The humid coastal air is hard on vent flaps and screens, so the failures that let birds in tend to happen faster here than the owner expects.
$200 – $600 depending on access
Bird removal →Dead animals
Heat and humidity together are the worst combination for this and the Pee Dee has both for much of the year. In a crawlspace it is worse still, because the damp holds the odour in the timber and the insulation above it.
$200 – $600, more if drywall has to be opened
Dead animal removal →The Florence year, animal by animal
South Carolina guidance suggests excluding bats in March and April or August to October and avoiding the May to August maternity season, which makes spring and early autumn the busy times for bat work in Florence. Snakes are active from spring through autumn, especially under houses near the rivers and swamps. Squirrels nest in attics in late winter and summer. Armadillos dig in the sandy soil all year.
Where they get in
Who is allowed to do this in Florence County
A pest control licence is not a wildlife licence, and bats and nearly all native birds are protected by law.
South Carolina works through depredation permits rather than a single operator licence: an SCDNR depredation permit is required to trap or take wildlife out of season. Licensed wildlife control operators can apply for and work under depredation permits that are not available to the general public, which is what lets them handle species (alligators among them) that a property owner cannot legally touch. Animals taken under a depredation permit may not be relocated, sold, traded, exchanged or bartered. Everything South Carolina requires →
- 9animals covered in depth, not listed
- 8towns across Florence County and around it
- South Carolinalaw cited from the published source
- Freequotes, and no obligation to take one
Housing and terrain in Florence
Florence sits in the Pee Dee, on flat coastal plain, at the crossing of two interstates and in the middle of farming country. It is a different landscape from the Upstate in ways that matter for this work: no real relief, sandy soil, high water table in places, and blackwater rivers and swamp threaded through the whole region rather than confined to one corridor.
Flat, wet and sandy has consequences. Crawlspaces are the norm rather than basements, and a crawlspace on a high water table stays humid year-round, which is good for decay, good for insects, and good for everything that eats insects. It also means the ground around a Florence house is easy to dig and easy to burrow under.
SCDNR states it plainly: control of wildlife and animal damage is the responsibility of the individual property owner. The department does not come and remove it. It publishes a list of Wildlife Control Operators who will, for a fee. The City of Florence animal control unit sits within the police department and deals with abuse and neglect, animals running at large and vicious animals, not with something living in your roof. SCDNR, Nuisance Wildlife
Once the animal is out, the attic still needs dealing with. Attic restoration in Florence →
Somebody has to look at the property to answer that. How many entry points or burrows there are, how hard they are to get at, and whether young are present is what sets the price, and none of it can be judged from a description. Send us your address and licensed local operators will quote the inspection and the work. Request free quotes →
Florence questions
Will the City of Florence remove an animal from my house?
No. The city’s animal control unit is part of the police department and deals with abuse, neglect, animals running at large and vicious animals. SCDNR says wildlife damage is the property owner’s responsibility and publishes a list of Wildlife Control Operators who work for a fee.
Why does my crawlspace attract so many animals?
On Florence’s high water table, crawlspaces stay damp year-round. Damp brings insects and rodents, which bring snakes, opossums and skunks. Closing the vents and access properly is part of a lasting fix.
When is the right time to get bats out?
South Carolina recommends exclusion in March and April, or August through October, and avoiding the May to August maternity season, when flightless young could be trapped inside.
Where we cover
Across Florence, Florence County and the surrounding towns:
Florence · Darlington · Hartsville · Timmonsville · Lake City · Marion · Mullins · Pamplico. Service areas →
Request free quotes
Licensed wildlife operators covering Florence will contact you directly. There is no charge and no obligation.