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Chimney Animal Removal by Local Jacksonville Pros

Birds, squirrels or raccoons in the flue? Local, family-run pros clear it and cap the top, starting with a free inspection.

  • Fully licensed and insured
  • Locally owned
  • Family owned and operated
  • Same-day service
Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

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Why choose us

An animal in the chimney is stressful, and the fix is not a fire or a broom handle up the flue. A family-run local team of animal removal pros works out what is living there, follows the rules for protected birds, cleans out the mess and closes the top with a screened cap. The price is on paper before we start, and 10% comes off the job when you book it within 72 hours of the inspection. Hear something up there? Call (904) 920-5495.

Why homeowners call us about animals in the chimney

  • Locally owned in Jacksonville
  • Family owned and operated
  • 100% satisfaction guaranteed
  • Free inspection and estimate
  • Same-day service available
  • 10% off any service
  • Free inspection and estimateFinding out what is in the flue, and which rules apply to it, is part of the free visit.
  • Upfront pricing, no hidden feesThe clean-out and the cap are priced as separate lines, and whoever handles any trapping is named in writing.
  • Family owned and operatedOur own family crew does the clean-out and fits the cap, so one company answers for keeping the animals out.
Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Chimney animal removal, flue to cap

Scratching, chirping or a sour smell from the fireplace often means an animal has found its way into the flue. Chimney animal removal starts by working out what it is, because protected birds and bats have legal timing, then clears the nest and droppings. A screened cap from our chimney cap replacement work closes the top after. Local, family-owned chimney pros handle the chimney side, starting with a free inspection.

  • Animal identified before anyone reaches into the flue
  • Nests, droppings and debris cleaned out of the flue
  • Damper and smoke shelf checked once the flue is clear
  • Screened cap fitted so nothing moves back in
  • Legal timing for protected birds followed and explained
Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Animal removal, from first call to capped flue

  1. Tell us what you hear

    Chirping, scratching and the time of day help us guess what is up there. Keep the damper shut and do not light a fire.

  2. Animal identified, rules checked

    A look down from the top with a light confirms what it is. Swifts and bats have legal timing, and we explain it.

  3. Flue emptied, nest cleaned out

    Once the animal is out, nest material and droppings come out with the firebox sealed, using brushes and a sealed, filtered vacuum.

  4. Screened cap closes the top

    A cap with the right screen goes on each flue, and any other gap we find is written up with its repair.

10% off any service booked within 72 hours of inspection

The clean-out and the cap that keeps animals out are both part of the 10% discount.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Removal timing by the animal in your flue

Each animal in the chimney calls for removal suited to what it is, and the species sets the timing.

What we findThe right fixWhat we also check
What we findChimney swifts nesting in the flueThe right fixLeave the nest until the birds migrate, then clean and capWhat we also checkThe earliest date the work can go ahead
What we findBats roosting in the chimneyThe right fixOne-way exclusion between August 15 and April 15, then a permanent closureWhat we also checkThe overnight lows the state rule requires before closing
What we findA squirrel, raccoon or other animalThe right fixLet it leave or have it trapped, then clean the flue and cap itWhat we also checkWho does any trapping, named in writing

Caps and dampers that keep animals out

Inside the free animal check

  1. What is in the flue, and how we identified it
  2. The legal timing that applies, with the rule named
  3. Who removes or excludes the animal, named in writing
  4. Clean-out of nest material, droppings and debris
  5. The damper and flue checked for damage once clear
  6. A screened cap sized to the flue, or repair of the existing one

Animal removal questions

Something is scratching in the chimney. Can you come today?

If a crew is free, yes. Until we arrive, keep the damper shut and the fireplace opening covered, and do not light a fire to drive it out. Call (904) 920-5495 and tell us what you are hearing.

What if the birds in my flue are chimney swifts?

Swifts are federally protected while nesting, so bird removal from the chimney waits until they migrate on their own. We plan the clean-out and cap for right after they leave and tell you the earliest date.

Who handles trapping if an animal is in the flue?

The first step is to identify the animal and any species-protection restrictions before choosing a removal method. If trapping is appropriate, the proposal identifies who will handle it before a trap is set. The inspection is free, and cleaning and closing the entry point are explained separately.

Are the removal, cleaning and cap priced together?

They share one written estimate as separate lines, so you see what each part costs. The inspection that finds the animal is free, and nothing is tacked on once we start.

Will the animal come back after you leave?

Not through the flue once a screened cap is on. If it got in some other way, such as a gap in a chase, we point that out too.

Sounds and signs of an animal in the chimney

  • Birds in the chimney chirping at dawn

    Often birds, and chimney swifts are federally protected while nesting. We confirm what they are and plan the clean-out for after they leave.

  • Scratching just above the damper

    Something has climbed or fallen down the flue. Keep the damper shut, light no fire, and we identify it before anyone reaches in.

  • A sour smell from the fireplace

    Nest material or droppings are sitting on the smoke shelf. We clear them with the firebox sealed and the room covered.

  • Twigs and debris dropping into the firebox

    Nest material is building above the damper. Once the flue is empty we clean it out and fit a screened cap.

  • A raccoon in the chimney at night

    Heavy thumps and chattering after dark point to a raccoon. We find out whether young are up there before anyone reaches in, and cap the flue once it is empty.

  • A squirrel in the chimney by day

    Scrabbling in daylight often means a squirrel that fell in and cannot climb back out. We give it a way out, then close the top with a screened cap.

Have a chimney pro check what is in the flue

We identify the animal, explain the timing rules and price the clean-out and cap in writing.

Free Inspection

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(904) 920-5495

Free inspection and written estimate

Full service details

The rules for swifts and bats in a chimney

Every call about an animal starts the same way, with what it is and which rules apply to it. Swifts are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states that harassing, injuring or killing swifts, their eggs or their nests is illegal. Their nest is a half-saucer of twigs glued to the flue wall with saliva. With an active bird nest in the chimney, removal waits until the swifts migrate.

Bats fall under the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's nuisance wildlife rule, 68A-9.010 of the Florida Administrative Code. It bans exclusion devices at a roost from April 16 through August 14, while young bats cannot fly. From August 15 to April 15 a one-way device may be used, and for a bat in the chimney, removal ends with a permanent closure only after the device has stayed up for four or more days and nights with forecast lows above 50 degrees.

If an animal gets into the room

An animal in the chimney that drops into the room needs a way out. Prop open an outside door if you can reach it without passing the animal, then step out and shut the other doors. Do not light a fire to drive it out: the smoke can kill it in the flue, set the nest burning and push smoke back into the house when the nest blocks the draft.

Droppings carry their own risk. The CDC notes that the fungus behind histoplasmosis grows in bird and bat droppings and spreads when the material is disturbed, which is why the clean-out is done with the firebox sealed.

Closing every way into the chimney

Section R1003.9.2 of the Florida Building Code, Residential, sets the spark arrestor screen: openings that will not pass a half-inch sphere nor block a three-eighths-inch sphere, with a total open area at least four times the flue outlet. A screen built that way keeps animals out and lets the flue draw. Factory-built chimneys take the cap listed for that chimney. Open joints near the top, a cracked crown or a rusted chase cover can also let animals in, so each one goes on the estimate.

Hearing something in the flue? Call (904) 920-5495 to book a free inspection.

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