Police Department

Animal Control

The Local Ordinances governing the handling of animals, wild and domestic, are contained in Chapter 17-Animals & Fowl. The fines are set forth in Appendix D - Fees and Bond Amounts. The Department provides traps at no charge to residents to capture wild animals that are inside homes. The Department cannot trap wild animals that are living outside the home. There are licensed private companies that charge a fee to remove wild animals and stinging insects from private property

Pet Registration

Residents who own a dog(s) or cat(s) are required to register their pets for a one-time fee of $25.00. Once a pet has been registered with the Village, residents are NOT required to renew this registration. The cost of replacing a lost tag is $20.00. A registration tag will be issued with the animal’s name, the owner’s name, address and telephone number, and a Village registration number. Please note that state and county laws still require that animals have annual rabies vaccinations and tags. The Village also requires registration if you own a horse. Pets are registered at the Village Hall Monday through Friday 8:00am-4:30pm. Click HERE for the pet registration form or call the Finance Department at (847) 446-9200.

For information on coyotes please see the sidebar or click HERE.

What should you do if a wild animal shows up at or in your home?

When you call us at 847-446-2131, here are some guidelines about what we can and cannot do. These guidelines have recently changed to better insure the safety of our police officers who are handling wild animals, some of which can be unpredictable or even dangerous.

• When a wild animal is loose inside a home, in the living area, basement or garage, our officers will make every effort to assist the homeowner by using a trap or a noose to try to capture it.

• Unless there is a direct threat to residents, officers will not be climbing into attics, crawl spaces, chimneys, roofs, under porches or other difficult-to-access places to remove wild animals.

• In difficult cases requiring special skills, we can give you the names of Nuisance Wildlife Control Specialists who are licensed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to remove problem wildlife.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has ultimate responsibility for setting regulations for dealing with wild animals that have invaded your home. Please visit their Web Site at  http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/wildlife/ for information on dealing with Wildlife in Illinois. The regulations require that all striped skunks must be euthanized, while raccoons must be released within 100 yards of where they were captured. Northfield Police Officers are required by law to follow those regulations.

We understand that the sight or sound of a wild animal in or near your home can be disconcerting, if not frightening. We highly recommend that you treat them for what they are – wild – and you should stay away from them. Keep children away from wild animals. It is better to be cautious when dealing with a wild animal.

We’re here to help, so if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call the Northfield Police Department.