Service area
Wildlife removal in Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County runs from the horse farms of Milton down through Atlanta to the edge of Coweta County, so "wildlife problem" means something different depending on where you are. Most of it comes down to the same thing: Atlanta's tree canopy puts animals right up against the house.
What I see most in Fulton County
Atlanta is famous for its tree canopy, and in-town neighborhoods with big hardwoods and older roofs see a steady run of squirrels, raccoons and rats getting into attics.
North Fulton, meaning Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Milton, sits along the Chattahoochee and its creeks. Those corridors keep raccoons, beavers and snakes close to newer homes and their landscaping.
South Fulton and the towns along I-85 mix older housing stock with open land, which brings a lot of rodent work in crawlspaces and garages and some snake calls near wooded edges.
What customers say
4.9 on Google · 80 reviews-
★★★★★
Brandon came to our home in Atlanta for a rat problem with which we were dealing. He diagnosed a sealing issue on part of the house - rebuilt after having had a tree fall on it, years back. We found at least one culprit - and the copperheads on our lawn - presumably there for a rodent feast - have disappeared! Brandon is honest, thorough and conscientious. He backs up his work, and has a professional and up front approach.
MTerese · September 2026 · Google review
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★★★★★
Quick response time and very thorough job. Would definitely recommend.
Vince A. · April 2025 · Google review
Reviews are copied word for word from Google. Older ones mention Total Animal Control, the company’s former name. Read all 80 reviews on Google
Public land and wildlife nearby
The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area runs through north Fulton, with park units along the river in Sandy Springs, Roswell and Johns Creek. That corridor of protected woods and water reaches well into the suburbs. University of Georgia researchers have documented coyotes in all 159 Georgia counties, in-town Atlanta included, so a coyote in a Fulton County backyard is normal rather than a sign something is wrong.
Who runs animal services for Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell and the rest of Fulton?
Animal services in Fulton are organized at the county level. The county contracts with LifeLine Animal Project, a nonprofit, to run Fulton County Animal Services on behalf of the county and its cities: the shelter for homeless animals, pet adoptions and enforcement of animal control laws. The program is managed under the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency.
Field work is handled differently. According to Fulton County Animal Services, its Field Services division is managed by the Fulton County Police Department, and its officers enforce the county's animal ordinances.
To ask for an officer, the county's number is 404-613-0358, option 2. The county lists what that line is for:
- Stray animals
- Dog bites
- Injured animals
- Cruelty and animal fighting
- Welfare checks
- License and rabies vaccination violations
Where do Fulton residents turn for wildlife instead?
Fulton County Animal Services points wildlife questions away from its own line. Its field services page refers residents to AWARE, a wildlife rehabilitation center, at 678-418-1111, and to Georgia DNR at 1-800-241-4113, and it links DNR's list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators for injured or orphaned animals.
Georgia DNR also runs an Urban Wildlife Program for nine core metro Atlanta counties, and Fulton is one of them. The program offers technical advice, education and outreach, and on-site response to emergencies. Its advice line is 1-800-366-2661.
None of those agencies will open your soffit, pull a raccoon family out of the attic and rebuild the vent it tore. That is the private side of the problem, and it is the work I do: inspect the house, remove the animals and close the building so it stays closed.
Who picks up a dead animal in Fulton County?
Not Fulton County Animal Services, which says plainly that it does not remove deceased animals. For animals in public spaces, it publishes a city-by-city contact list. A few of the numbers on it:
- City of Atlanta: 404-546-0311
- Sandy Springs: 770-730-5600
- Roswell: 770-641-3727
- Alpharetta: 678-297-6000
- Johns Creek: 678-512-3200
- Milton: 678-242-2562
- South Fulton: 470-552-4311
- Unincorporated Fulton County: 404-613-3113
What should I do after a bite or bat contact in Fulton?
Rabies questions here go to the Fulton County Board of Health. Its Office of Epidemiology fields rabies questions at (770) 520-7500, option 7. For rabies consultation at any hour, the board lists a public health hotline, 1-866-782-4584.
The board's rabies material notes that rabies in this country lives mainly in wild mammals such as skunks, raccoons, coyotes, foxes and bats, and that it is rare in squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, rats and mice. Get medical care for any bite from a wild animal, and if a bat has been loose in the house and nobody can say for sure whether it touched anyone, put that question to the epidemiology office before the bat is released or thrown out.
The board also lists the county field services line for the animal side of a bite. Once the health question is answered, I can take care of sealing the entry points so the next bat stays outside.
How does Fulton's mix of old and new housing change the work?
The Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey counts about 524,000 housing units in Fulton County, with a median year built of 1995. About a third went up before 1980, around 30,000 date from 1939 or earlier, and about four in ten were finished in 2000 or later.
Those two ends of the range fail in different ways. On a pre-war bungalow, I look for open eaves, unscreened attic and foundation vents, gaps around old chimneys and wood trim that has given way. On a house from the last twenty years, the gaps are designed in rather than worn in: roof-to-wall junctions, ridge and gable vents, soffit returns, utility penetrations and garage door seals.
An apartment or condo adds one more layer, because the fix often has to be arranged through property management. Either way, the plan is drawn from the building in front of me, not from the ZIP code.
Why does the Chattahoochee corridor matter beyond the park?
The National Park Service manages 15 separate units of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area along a 48-mile stretch of river, with headquarters at the Island Ford unit in Sandy Springs. That much protected riverbank, split into pieces along a river that runs through suburbs, means a great many Fulton backyards sit next to habitat rather than miles from it.
DNR's urban wildlife guidance starts with what draws an animal in. Garbage cans, bowls of dog or cat food and spilled seed under feeders are food; birdbaths, pools and standing pet water are drink; and heaped yard debris or thick mulch beds are cover. Take those away or fence them off first, and give the animals time to learn the yard no longer pays.
Towns and communities I cover in Fulton County
Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, South Fulton, East Point, College Park, Fairburn, Union City, Palmetto, and the unincorporated areas around them. The county seat is Atlanta.
Common questions in Fulton County
Does Fulton County Animal Services remove wildlife from homes?
Its field line covers strays, dog bites, injured animals, cruelty, welfare checks and vaccination violations. For wildlife, its own field services page refers residents to AWARE at 678-418-1111 and Georgia DNR at 1-800-241-4113.
Does Atlanta have its own animal control separate from the county?
Fulton County contracts with LifeLine Animal Project to provide animal services on behalf of the county and its cities, with field enforcement run by the Fulton County Police Department. Requests go to 404-613-0358, option 2.
Who do I call about a dead raccoon on the road in Sandy Springs?
Fulton County Animal Services does not remove dead animals. Its contact list gives 770-730-5600 for Sandy Springs; other cities have their own numbers on the same list.
Who answers rabies questions in Fulton County?
The Fulton County Board of Health's Office of Epidemiology, at (770) 520-7500, option 7. The board also lists a 24-hour public health hotline, 1-866-782-4584.
Does Georgia DNR help with wildlife problems in Fulton?
Yes. Fulton is one of nine core counties in DNR's Urban Wildlife Program, which provides technical guidance, outreach and on-site emergency response. The advice line is 1-800-366-2661.
Are older Atlanta houses harder to wildlife-proof than newer ones in north Fulton?
They are different rather than harder. Older homes tend to have worn materials and open vents, while newer ones have complex rooflines and built-in gaps. Census estimates show Fulton has large numbers of both.
A coyote keeps crossing my yard in Fulton. What does DNR suggest?
Start by removing food and water sources, then haze it. DNR lists motion-activated sprinklers or alarms as deterrents, and yelling, noisemakers or a spray from the hose as negative stimuli, and it advises varying the methods so the animal does not get used to one.
I found an injured hawk or a hurt baby animal. Who helps in Fulton?
Fulton County Animal Services links Georgia DNR's list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators, points people with a bird in metro Atlanta to Wild Nest Bird Rehab's steps, and refers other wildlife questions to AWARE at 678-418-1111.