Snake Removal in Alabama

What's Driving Snake Removal Demand in Alabama

Alabama is home to roughly fifty snake species, but only six are venomous, and which one a homeowner is likely to encounter shifts by region. Copperheads are the venomous species most commonly reported in north Alabama, while cottonmouths, also called water moccasins, and pygmy rattlesnakes become more frequent further south and closer to water, and the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the largest venomous snake in North America, is mostly confined to the southern part of the state. In practice, the large majority of snake removal calls in Alabama involve nonvenomous species like rat snakes and garter snakes that pose no real danger but still generate calls because most callers cannot confidently identify what they are looking at, especially with young snakes or ones seen briefly near a woodpile or foundation. Rural and wooded properties, along with homes backing up to creeks or ponds, see more snake activity overall simply from proximity to the cover and prey snakes rely on.

Licensing in Alabama: Alabama regulates structural pest control work through the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries' Pesticide Management Division, which issues Structural Professional Services Licenses to businesses performing household, institutional, and industrial pest control, fumigation, and control of wood destroying organisms as three separate certified categories. A business must employ a certified commercial applicator who has passed the relevant exam before the company license is issued, and pricing reflects a tiered structure: roughly $175 annually for a main office, $75 for a branch office, and $50 for a sub office, plus an additional $100 for each category of work the business is certified to perform. Licenses run October 1 through September 30 and must be renewed yearly. Wildlife and nuisance animal removal, covering species like raccoons, squirrels, and bats, falls outside this pesticide licensing system entirely: it is regulated by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, which issues permits to Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators separately from any pest control license.