Bats: survey or research level 4 licence (CL20)

This licence allows you to disturb or capture bats by hand or using:

• harp traps – for development surveys only (used for a maximum of 3 days at any one site)
• static hand-held nets
• acoustic lures
• endoscopes
• torches

You need a:

• level 1 licence if you only need to usedisturb roosting bats using a torch
• level 2 licence to handle bats and use static hand-held nets or an endoscope
• level 3 licence to use mist nets and acoustic lures
• mitigation licence for development work affecting bats

For survey, research or conservation work not covered by this licence you must apply for either:

• an individual licence
• a level 1 licence
• a level 2 licence
• a level 3 licence

For development work affecting bats, you must apply for a mitigation licence.

You can disturb but not handle hibernating bats.

You must release all bats at the place where they were captured immediately after being examined.

If you are registered on the level 4 licence you will not need the level 1 or level 2 licences because it covers the same methods. You will need a level 3 licence to use harp traps.

Register with Natural England

Before you can use this licence, you must register with Natural England

usingRegister the registration form for a class licence to survey bats (CL20) .

Natural England will confirm your registration in writing, usually within 30 working days. You must not carry out any licensed activities until you receive written confirmation of your registration.

What you need to pay

It costs £104 to register for a new CL20 licence.

It costs £35 a year to continue your registration.

You must declare the intended use of the licence on your registration form. To continue your registration, you must declare how you used the licence in the past year on your annual survey return. This will determine if you need to pay, such as if you are going to survey bats for development projects.

Natural England will refund unsuccessful applications.

When you do not need to pay

You do not need to pay if the licence is only used for:

• voluntary purposes – any work you do is unpaid and you are registered with an organisation, charity or local recording group as a volunteer
• conservation, science or research purposes and research related to the protected species is carried out by a student or employee of an academic institution or research body

How to pay

You can pay using a bank card. Follow the GOV.UK Pay link on the registration form or survey return form.

Read the terms and conditions for paying for a wildlife licence.

References

You need to complete a reference to support a survey or research licence form when you register for this licence if you:

• have not held a licence for the species or a similar species for the last 3 years
• have a licence but want to add new methods

Report actionactions taken under the licence

You must completereport thein a bat survey licence return any actions that are taken under this licence.

Report your actions from 1 November to 31 October each year, and submit the form by 30 November each year, even if you’ve taken no action or did not find any target species.

YouYou’ll mustneed reportto yourprovide actionsthe fromnames 1of Novemberany toaccredited 31agents Octoberwho eachcarried year.out the surveys on your behalf. 

You must listtell us about all the surveys carriedwhere outyou underor thisyour licenceaccredited whereagents you found bats.bats when using the licensable methods. For eachCL20 survey,these youwill mustbe record:surveys where you: 

• the

  captured batbats speciesby foundhand or hand net, or using a harp trap 

• survey

  disturbed locationroosting –bats includewith a torch or endoscope 

• used an acoustic lure 

For each site where you disturbed or captured bats using the 10licensable figuremethods, Ordnanceyou Surveymust gridrecord reference,the: 

• location of the site name,(10 countyfigure andOrdnance postcodeSurvey (wheregrid available)reference and county) 

• start and end date of the period that surveys took place at each surveysite 

• visit

  purpose typeof andyour roost typesurveys 

• total number of batseach observedspecies orof bat that were captured or disturbed using each licensable method over the entire survey period 

• the

  peak purposecount of youreach survey

Youspecies canof alsobat recordrecorded additionalroosting informationon suchthe as:site in any single survey 

• the

  peak sexcount andof ageeach species of batsbat found

• methodscaptured usedacross forall thatharp surveytraps on any single survey 

• notes

  use onof theacoustic survey sitelures

You’ll also need to give:report whether you and any accredited agents followed best practice when using the licence. 

You do not need to tell us about surveys: 

• where you did not use the nameslicensable ofmethods, accreditedfor agentsexample, whoa workednocturnal survey where you did not capture or disturb any roosting bats 

• that were carried out under youra different licence, such as a bat mitigation licence or individual project licence 

• whether

  where you followedwere bestan practiceaccredited whenagent usingor theassistant on another person’s survey class licence or individual project licence

If you hold both a CL19 and CL20 licence, complete one bat survey licence return form to cover both licences.

Submit a bat survey licence return

You must also send your results to the Local Record Centre. You can do this by recording your results on the iRecord website or contacting the Local Record Centre.

ContinueUsing your licence registrationfor another year

UseBy thereporting surveyyour returnactions, formyou tocan continue yourto registrationuse tothe licence for the following reporting period. If you will use thisthe licence.

Youlicence for surveys to inform development projects, you will need to pay £35 each year to continue your registration,registration unlessfor another year. 

Get help 

If you areneed exempt.help with registering for a class licence or completing your survey licence return form, contact wildlife.scicons@naturalengland.org.uk.