Pigeon Control: How to Stop Pigeons Nesting on Your Property

Good pigeon control is mostly about the building, not the bird. If pigeons are on your balcony, roof or solar panels, they are there because the spot gives them food, shelter or a safe ledge. Take that away and they move on. Waltham Forest, Redbridge and Kingston councils all say much the same: remove the food, stop the roosting and nesting, and do not expect killing to solve it.

The order matters. Look for a nest before you touch anything, because an active nest is protected. Clear any food. Clean up, keeping the droppings damp. Then fit proofing that suits the exact spot, or ask whoever owns that part of the building to do it.

Our recommendation is to act early. One bird resting on a railing is cheap to discourage. A pair with eggs means waiting several weeks, during which the mess builds up and the birds grow more attached to the site. The table below gives the first move for what you are seeing today.

Start with section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In England it is an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take a wild bird, to take, damage or destroy a nest while it is in use or being built, or to take or destroy an egg. GOV.UK says a conviction can bring an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison for each offence.

Feral pigeons sit in an odd place in the wording. Section 27 lists pigeons in its definition of poultry, which is left out of the definition of a wild bird. Even so, Natural England lists the feral pigeon in its general licences, and treats killing them or destroying their nests as needing a licence. Some older council pages call them pest birds exempt from protection, which does not match the current GOV.UK licences. Work on the basis that they are protected.

A general licence is a published permission that you do not apply for. The one that matters here is GL41, which Natural England issued on 1 January 2026, taking over from Defra. It is valid until 31 December 2026 and is normally reissued or updated each 1 January. The GOV.UK page was last updated on 1 January 2026, and on the day we checked it said nothing about 2027. Read the current version before anyone relies on it, including next year.

GL41 lets an authorised person, meaning the owner or occupier of the land or someone they authorise, act against feral pigeons for three purposes only: slips and falls, the spread of disease to humans, and safety issues with nesting birds. Permitted actions include killing or taking birds, destroying nests and eggs, and oiling or pricking eggs. Natural England recommends avoiding lethal control of adult birds in the breeding season where possible, so that young are not left to die.

What GL41 does not cover is a nuisance. Its sister licence, GL42, covers feral pigeons for livestock feed and crops, and its definition of serious damage does not include buildings. Natural England's page on individual licences says it cannot grant one simply because a bird is damaging property, and that noise and droppings are generally refused. So mess on your balcony furniture is not, by itself, a lawful reason to destroy a nest. Our recommendation is to treat proofing as the answer and a licence as the rare exception.

A pigeon nest is a poor thing to look at. Coventry City Council describes twigs, feathers and scraps such as plastic and wire, and it can be little more than a few sticks in a corner, on a ledge or behind a planter. Do not assume that a messy pile is an old one.

Season will not settle the question. The RSPB says to wait until winter to block birds out of a roof, then adds that pigeons can nest throughout the year. Adur & Worthing Councils say they can breed all year, with a peak from March to July. So check the nest, not the calendar.

Coventry gives the timings: normally two eggs, about 18 days of incubation, and fledging roughly four to five weeks later. New eggs can be laid when the young are as little as 20 days old, and Richmond Council says a pair can breed up to six times a year. A site can therefore stay in use for months, with one brood overlapping the next.

Watch from a distance for two days, early and late. Note whether a bird stays on the spot, whether birds keep arriving with nesting material, and whether you can see eggs or chicks. Do not lift or tilt anything. If the nest is busy, leave it, keep the area as clean as you safely can, and book the proofing for when the last chicks have gone. A short wait is cheaper than a criminal offence.

Identify the bird before you plan anything, because the permissions differ. Coventry City Council describes the feral pigeon as about 33 cm long, in colours that run from blue-grey with double black wing bars to reddish, chequered or nearly black. These are the town birds on ledges, under bridges and around food. A wood pigeon is larger and plumper, with a white neck patch, and usually nests in trees and gardens.

GL41 lists four species: Canada goose, feral pigeon, jackdaw and monk parakeet. The last two are covered only for safety issues with nesting birds. Wood pigeons are not on it, so a wood pigeon in your hedge is not something a public health licence can touch. Natural England's GL42 covers them for crop and feed damage, which rarely helps a London garden.

Other birds use the same ledges. Bath & North East Somerset Council warns that netting must not block the nesting sites of non-target birds or the access to bat roosts, and that deterrents affecting a bat roost may need a licence. The RSPB says bats must not be shut out by any means. If you see swifts, gulls or bats around the eaves, get them identified first. Our bird control page lists what to tell us.

Almost certainly not. People search for a pigeon exterminator when they are fed up, which is fair, but extermination does not suit this problem. Redbridge Council calls killing pigeons a short-term fix. Richmond Council goes further: lethal methods reduce competition for food and shelter, the survivors breed faster, and numbers soon recover. Adur & Worthing Councils say new birds soon take over a cleared site. TfL's own guidance for its road network says lethal bird pest control is not effective in the long term.

The law points the same way. A household problem with mess does not fit GL41's purposes, and a licence does not stop new pigeons arriving at an unprotected ledge. Be wary of anyone who offers to kill or clear birds on a balcony without first asking about nests, the purpose and the alternatives they have tried. GL41 recommends written records of what was tried and done, kept for at least three years, so a careful firm can explain its reasoning.

Where does good pigeon pest control fit? It is mainly inspection, cleaning and proofing, and it is especially useful at height. There are real exceptions, such as birds nesting where they create a safety risk or droppings causing slips on a busy walkway. Those cases need someone to check the species, the purpose and the method against the current licence. Whether you call it pest control for birds or pigeon proofing, ask for the plan in writing. On the wording of the 2026 licence, the duty to try alternatives first applies to jackdaws, not feral pigeons, though older council guidance says non-lethal methods must come first. We recommend trying them first anyway, because they are what lasts.

They can be, but the danger is often overstated, and sources disagree on how much. Richmond Council calls the fear generally unfounded and exaggerated, and says the risk from casual contact is negligible except for people who work closely with birds or droppings. Waltham Forest says there is little evidence that pigeons pass disease to people. Coventry takes a firmer line, saying a high proportion of feral pigeons carry ornithosis, an older name for psittacosis, while adding that the incidence of harm is very small.

The main named risk is psittacosis. UKHSA says it comes mainly from breathing infected particles or dust contaminated with droppings or secretions, and that even brief exposure to dried droppings can be enough. It is most associated with pet birds, and UKHSA says that usually fewer than 10 PCR-confirmed cases are reported in England each year. Symptoms are usually flu-like, such as fever, headache, muscle aches and cough. Many cases are mild, but it can cause severe pneumonia, especially without treatment in older people or those with weakened immune systems. It is treated with antibiotics.

You will also see histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis on sales pages. Treat those claims with care. TfL's guidance lists both alongside psittacosis, calls the health risks modest, and says each is rare in London. HSE's pages on bird droppings name psittacosis and salmonella, not those two. We could not find NHS or UKHSA public guidance that links them to everyday contact with UK pigeon droppings, so we do not list them as a routine risk.

The more everyday problems are simpler. Redbridge and Kingston councils say droppings and nest debris can carry mites and insects, which may trigger allergic reactions. Nests can also feed the insects in our guide to carpet beetles. Droppings make steps slippery, and they block gutters and drains.

If you develop a cough, fever or breathlessness after clearing droppings, tell your GP or NHS 111 about the bird contact, because it helps them think of the right causes. The NHS says to ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 for chest pain when you breathe or cough, or if you feel short of breath. Call 999 if someone is struggling to breathe, has blue, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue, is coughing up blood, or suddenly becomes confused.

Size up the job first. HSE says common tasks such as cleaning windowsills are not high risk, so a thin layer on a railing is a normal household job. The aim is to stop dust forming. Check for a nest first, because cleaning right beside one can stray into disturbing it. If nesting material needs moving, follow the nest check above. Then work as follows.

The choice comes down to how the birds use the spot. Birds that perch on a thin edge need something that stops them landing. Birds that shelter in a recess, or that nest on a balcony, need the space closed off. Match the method to the use, not the other way round, and do not spread a little of one product across a large area.

Bath & North East Somerset Council's guidance for historic buildings gives the clearest comparison we found. It says sprung wire suits the leading edges of sills and ledges, where pigeons tend to perch. Spikes work on ledges if enough of them are used, but are generally ineffectual around parapet walls or at low density. Netting suits courtyards and recessed areas. It gives lifespans of about 10 years for wire and spikes, and up to about 20 years for UV-coated netting, assuming good installation and maintenance.

Netting needs the most care. Bath warns that the wrong mesh size lets birds nest on it, or get in and become trapped. The RSPB says it should be checked regularly, at least once a day and ideally three times, and that birds trapped behind it must be freed quickly. TfL now prefers steel mesh grills to fabric netting on its bridges, because damaged nets let pigeons in and leave them trapped. On a balcony, this means a net must be tensioned with no loose edges, and someone must own the job of checking it.

A ledge can also be changed. The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management says sloping a ledge at 45 degrees or more discourages roosting. It is a neat option for a single window sill or a flat-topped box, and it has no spikes to collect rubbish. Our recommendation: use sprung wire on edges, close spikes on deep ledges, netting or mesh for balconies and recesses, and a slope where you want something discreet. See bird and pigeon proofing for how we quote it, and chimney protection if birds are getting into a flue.

Pigeons on a balcony usually want three things: shelter from the wind, a corner to nest in, and something to eat. Look at it as a pigeon would. Check for bird food, pet bowls, crumbs under the table, and old plant saucers full of water. Then look for the hidden corners behind planters, stored boxes, air conditioning units and folded chairs. Those are usually where nesting starts.

Start with what needs no one's permission: clear the clutter, move pots away from the corners, and stop leaving food out. Waltham Forest says a piece of string with silver foil has worked in some instances, and it costs almost nothing to try on an unsettled bird. Do not expect it to shift a pair that has already nested.

If birds keep coming back, the reliable fix for a balcony is a full barrier across the opening. Rail spikes alone can just move the birds along. In a 2026 Housing Ombudsman case, a contractor warned that spikes might only send pigeons to another part of the roof. Also look up. The droppings on your balcony may come from a ledge or roof above, which you cannot proof, and that needs raising with whoever manages the building. In the Islington case below, the Ombudsman criticised the landlord for not investigating where the birds were coming from.

Before you buy a net, ask about top-floor fixings, fire safety and appearance. In a 2021 case, Whitefriars Housing Group cited trapped birds, maintenance and post-Grenfell concerns about netting a high-rise block as reasons for refusing. On a tall building, treat netting as a question for the building's managers, not a weekend job. Never lean over a rail to fit anything.

There is no single rule, and the general guidance on pests is thin on birds. Citizens Advice says landlords are likely to be responsible if the tenancy says so, if the problem came from repairs they did not make, or if the pests make the home unsafe. Its page does not mention pigeons. So the lease or tenancy matters most, and Housing Ombudsman decisions show how the arguments tend to go.

In a 2023 Lewisham case, the tenancy made the tenant responsible for keeping a private balcony clean, and the landlord said residents could fit their own netting with written permission. Even so, the Ombudsman found maladministration, because the landlord should have explored deterrents and consulted residents. In a 2021 Whitefriars case, a landlord that refused netting as an improvement, and offered up to £20 towards spikes, was found not to be at fault on the proofing itself.

Shared ownership and leaseholders can see a different result. In a 2023 Orbit decision, the lease made the landlord responsible for the roof, structure and external parts. The bird proofing went through a sinking fund with a Section 20 consultation, and the Ombudsman found maladministration in how the infestation was handled. In a July 2025 Islington decision, a leaseholder's complaint about droppings outside his door was upheld, with £600 in compensation and an order to inspect the hazard and investigate where the pigeons were roosting.

Our recommendation is to put it in writing early. Give dates and photos, say what you have already cleared, and ask three direct questions: who owns that surface, can proofing be fitted, and who pays? If you are a leaseholder, read the repair and alteration clauses before you fix anything to the building. Keep the replies, because the record is what these cases turn on.

A solar array can make a very good pigeon shelter. Sunsave, a solar company with an interest in selling this work, says there is usually a gap of about 13 cm between the panels and the roof, within a range of 10 to 15 cm. That space is dry and hidden. Sunsave also reports complaints in Nottingham that led the council to fit mesh, and Energy Live News reported a £362,000 cost in August 2022.

The usual problems are noise, droppings and nesting material in a space you cannot reach. Our solar panel page lists fire risk from nesting material among the reasons to act. We found no UK public body that puts a figure on this risk, so treat it as a reason for caution, not a prediction. Claims about lost output vary widely and most are not based on UK field data. Sunsave quotes a 2023 study of heavy soiling, and a BBC figure of up to 30% over a panel's lifetime. Clean droppings if output falls, but do not choose proofing on those figures alone.

Timing and the order of the work matter here, because a sealed gap can trap birds or lock in a nest. Have the array checked for active nests. Wait if there are eggs or chicks. Clear the old material, then fit the barrier around the full perimeter, leaving no bird inside. Avoid drilling into panels or frames, and ask your installer how any work affects your warranty, as we could not find a general rule.

If you are having solar fitted, ask for proofing at the same time. Sunsave puts it at around £25 a panel at installation, and warns that adding it later means paying for scaffolding again. That is one of the few cases where prevention is clearly cheaper. Stay off the roof yourself.

Most cheap pigeon deterrents fail for the same reason: they scare a bird without taking away what it wants. Once it learns that nothing happens, it comes back. Bath & North East Somerset Council dismisses gel, sonic devices, distress calls, decoys and more as inappropriate or ineffectual for its buildings. Historic Environment Scotland is a little kinder, saying decoys need moving regularly and sonic devices depend on the species. Spend on these only if the cost of being wrong is small.

Feeding drives numbers. Richmond Council says pigeon populations depend mainly on food, and Waltham Forest explains that with less food they will not starve, but will breed less often or move away. Food left out also brings rats, which is a far bigger problem. If that has begun, read our guide on how to get rid of rats.

There is no London-wide feeding ban, and the rules vary by place. Richmond's 2017 sheet says there are no laws it can use to stop people feeding birds, though it may help where rotting food builds up or rats appear. Kensington and Chelsea has a Public Spaces Protection Order around South Kensington Station, Gloucester Road Station and part of Kensington High Street, with a £100 fixed penalty. Tower Hamlets' park byelaws ban feeding wildlife, naming pigeons, without the council's permission. Adur & Worthing Councils note that dropped food can count as littering. Check your own borough before you assume either way.

Councils have some wider powers, though few households will see them used. Section 9 of the London Local Authorities Act 2004 lets a London borough serve notice on the owner or occupier of a building where birds nesting, roosting or alighting on it are a nuisance to pedestrians on a highway. The notice must allow at least 28 days and can require measures such as nets, wires or gel. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 also treats an accumulation or deposit that is prejudicial to health or a nuisance as a statutory nuisance, and Citizens Advice says a council may act on some infestations in this way. Section 74 of the Public Health Act 1961 gives councils their own power to deal with pigeon nuisance in built-up areas.

In practice, do not wait for the council. Redbridge says it does not provide a pigeon removal or destruction service, and Waltham Forest and Richmond also say they do not treat pigeons. If a neighbour's feeding is the cause, speak to them first, calmly, as Richmond and Adur & Worthing both advise. If rats or heavy mess follow, then report it to environmental health with dates and photos.

Many London streets are in conservation areas, so check before fixing anything to the front of a building. Bath & North East Somerset Council says listed building consent may be needed for bird protection measures, and that planning permission may be too. It marks sprung wire as needing consent on a listed building, and exclusion netting as needing both consent and planning permission. Those are one council's rules of thumb, so ask your own planning team.

The same guidance has useful detail for any older building. Fixings should go into mortar joints where possible, not stone. Standard ferrous fixings can corrode, so use stainless steel, and use flexible mastic rather than a hard-setting adhesive. Spikes glued to the surface are more easily reversed than drilled ones. Our recommendation: choose the least visible method that works, and keep the planning reply with your building records.

There is no honest fixed price, and you should be wary of one given over the phone. A short sill and a block of 12 flats are very different jobs. The published figures below come from real cases and a solar seller, not from our price list, and they show how wide the range is. Older figures will have risen.

The biggest cost is usually access, not the netting. Our service pages list the factors we look at: building height, ledge length and roofline, the method that suits the material, the extent of fouling and nesting material, and the access equipment and installation time needed. If scaffold is already up for other work, ask about doing the proofing while it is there. In a block, ask how the cost is shared before work begins. Orbit's proofing went through a Section 20 consultation, and Islington said block-wide netting would affect leaseholders' service charges.

We offer pigeon control and bird control for homes and commercial premises in London. Tell us the building height, where the birds sit, how much fouling there is and whether you have seen a nest. Send photos if you can do so safely from where you stand.

Proofing can use netting, spikes or wire, and we also cover solar panel proofing and chimney guards. Larger sites with persistent bird activity can discuss falconry deterrence. For the clear-up, ask about disinfectant treatment, dead pest removal or loft insulation replacement if birds have fouled a roof space. If you are not sure what you are dealing with, start with a pest inspection.

We assess each case and never promise nest removal or trapping in advance, because any action depends on the species, the reason, the method and a valid licence. Prevention and proofing are usually the first step. A custom quote is confirmed after an inspection, and the price, visits and inclusions are confirmed in writing before booking. We do not publish a standard bird rate on our prices page, because the job depends on the building.

We are based on Clements Road in Ilford, cover London and carry public liability insurance. Our phone lines are open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm. You can contact us with your photos, or see our Ilford pest control page if you are local.