Which squirrel is actually in your Seattle attic
Start with the animal, because the rules follow the species. Most attic work in this city involves eastern gray or eastern fox squirrels, both introduced and both unclassified by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which allows trapping or killing year round with a hunting license. The native western gray is the one that stops the job. The state lists it as threatened, meaning it cannot be hunted, trapped, or killed at all. It is also unmistakable once you know what to look for: at 18 to 24 inches it is the largest tree squirrel in Washington, with a long silver tail and no rusty tones. Douglas squirrels are much smaller, darker above with an orange belly, and loud out of proportion to their size. Northern flying squirrels are the night shift, gliding between conifers and nesting in groups, which is why a flying squirrel problem is rarely one animal. Anyone quoting you work should name the species out loud before setting anything on the roof.
A Seattle calendar: when to seal and when to wait
The state puts the first litter of two to four young between March and June, with a second in August or September for most species. Those two stretches are the ones that decide your timeline, because sealing an occupied nest leaves young behind. January and February are good months for inspection and for closing openings that are not currently in use. The rain is relentless, but the roof is empty of pups and any chewing from fall is easy to spot against wet, dark wood. March through June, expect noise to build as young grow, and expect a competent company to slow down rather than rush. Late June and July open the best working window of the year, with dry decking and mobile juveniles. August and September bring the second litter, then October and November are the fall push, when animals test edges before the wet season. Plan the permanent work for a dry stretch, not for the week you first hear scratching.
What the first visit should actually include
A useful first visit is mostly a ladder and a flashlight. The inspector should work the full perimeter of the roof, not just the wall under the noise: soffit returns, dormer cheeks, the open ends of eaves, chimney flashing, roof to wall junctions, gable and attic vents, and any spot where a later addition meets original framing. Every opening gets counted and photographed. That count is the single most useful number you will get all day, because it predicts both the price and how long the job takes. Inside, they are checking for nests, latrine areas, chewed wire jackets, and flattened runs through the insulation. Finding young changes the plan immediately. You should leave that visit with a written scope: which hole gets the one way door, what material covers each of the others, whether insulation is coming out, and when someone returns to pull the door and close the final opening. A number with no list behind it is not a quote.
Why sealing costs more than trapping, and why it is worth it
Most people call about the animal and end up buying carpentry. That is the correct outcome. A trap removes an occupant; metal over a hole removes the address. The price of that carpentry moves with a handful of things. First is the count of openings, since each one needs its own material, its own fit, and its own ladder set. Second is whether a litter is present, which adds hand removal and another trip. Third is cleanup: pulling soiled insulation, sanitizing, and blowing new material back in is separate trade work that some quotes include and others quietly leave out. Roof height and pitch matter on Seattle's steeper lots, where staging eats an afternoon. So does rot, because metal fastened to soft fascia lasts about one wet winter. Ask how many return visits are covered, then ask for the written quote after the inspection with removal, exclusion, and cleanup on separate lines. That format is what makes two bids comparable.
Renting, owning, and who handles the roof
Sealing a roofline is a repair to the building, so it sits with the owner rather than the tenant. That covers replacing chewed fascia, screening vents, rebuilding a soffit run, and putting insulation back after cleanup. A tenant might reasonably handle the small stuff, like taking down a bird feeder or keeping trash secured. If you rent, write it down and date it. Record when you hear movement, which room, and anything visible from the ground or a window: a hole at a corner, staining on a ceiling, chewed trim. Photographs with dates settle arguments that phone calls do not. Owners have a straightforward reason to move quickly. With Seattle home values sitting near $850,000, the attic and roof carry most of the property's value, and squirrel damage compounds through a rainy winter. Managers with several buildings on one street should have them inspected together, because the same construction detail usually fails on all of them.
When it stops being a nuisance and becomes urgent
Three situations should not wait for a scheduling window. Chewed wiring is the first: exposed copper, a scorched smell, or a circuit that acts up while you hear movement overhead needs an electrician as well as a wildlife company. The second is a strong rotting odor with flies, which usually means something died in a wall or soffit cavity. That has to be opened and removed. It does not fade on its own, and it draws blowflies for weeks. The third is a squirrel loose in the living space. Close the interior doors, open one door to the outside, and leave the room so the animal has a clear path. Chasing it turns a nervous squirrel into a cornered one, and anyone bitten or scratched should talk to a doctor. Everything else can wait a few days. Use the time to note when the noise starts, since an inspector will ask and it narrows the search fast.