Raccoons are intelligent, adaptable, and increasingly comfortable living alongside people. They raid garbage bins, tear up lawns looking for grubs, den in attics and chimneys, and can carry serious diseases including rabies and raccoon roundworm. This hub brings together our guides on humane removal, exclusion, and prevention so you can deal with raccoons effectively without hurting them — or yourself.
Signs of Raccoon Activity
Raccoons are nocturnal, so you often see the signs before you see the animal. Common signs include tipped-over garbage bins, scattered trash, droppings that look like small dog droppings, tracks with five long toes, damage to roof shingles or soffits, torn-up sections of lawn where they have been hunting grubs, and a variety of scratching, thumping, or chattering sounds in the attic or walls at night. If you are hearing sounds and are not sure what is making them, our guide on what sound a raccoon makes covers the chattering, thumping, and vocalisations that distinguish raccoons from squirrels and rodents. And if you have found droppings and want to identify them, what raccoon poop looks like walks through the visual comparison against dog and cat droppings.
Why Raccoons Are a Serious Problem
Raccoons are one of the few wild animals that pose a real direct risk to human health. They are a major rabies vector in North America, and raccoon roundworm — a parasite shed in raccoon faeces — can cause severe neurological damage if accidentally ingested. Raccoon latrines, usually in attics, crawlspaces, or on flat roofs, are a serious contamination issue and should be cleaned by professionals with proper protective equipment. Raccoons also cause significant structural damage. They tear apart insulation to make dens, damage duct work, chew on wiring, and can break through soffits and fascia to gain entry. In yards, they roll up sod looking for grubs and will raid garden beds and fruit trees.
Legal Considerations
Raccoon removal is regulated in most states. In many areas, you need a wildlife control licence to trap and relocate raccoons, and relocation itself is restricted or prohibited in some places because of disease transmission risk. In many states it is illegal to release a trapped raccoon on public land, and relocating the animal often means it will simply die — from starvation, predators, or aggressive resident raccoons. For those reasons, the most humane approach is usually exclusion: get the raccoon out of the structure, seal the entry, and make sure the property is unattractive in the future. Our guide on how to get rid of raccoons covers the legal and practical landscape state by state.
Humane Removal Options
The most effective method for getting raccoons out of an attic or crawlspace is a one-way exclusion door. This allows the animal to exit for its nightly foraging trip but prevents it from getting back in. Combined with sealing every other entry point, this removes the animal from the structure humanely and prevents re-entry. Live traps can be used for raccoons, but they require careful handling — how to trap raccoons covers the safe method, and the best raccoon traps covers the equipment. For bait selection, the best raccoon bait is a practical guide. Never use poison — it is illegal in most places, inhumane, and dangerous to pets and other wildlife.
Attic and Chimney Exclusion
Excluding raccoons requires finding every entry point. The most common are roof vents, soffits, dormer edges, chimney tops, and weak points where the roof meets the fascia. Raccoons are strong and will create their own openings if one is not obvious. Chimneys should be capped with a spark-arrestor style cap that allows airflow but blocks animals. Roof vents should be reinforced or replaced with heavy-gauge covers. Critically, before sealing any entry point, confirm there are no babies inside — in spring and early summer, a mother raccoon will have a litter of kits in the den, and sealing them in is inhumane and will cause a serious smell problem. Our guide on what to do about a baby raccoon in your yard covers the orphaned-kit situation.
Yard and Garden Prevention
Raccoons are drawn to easy food. Secure garbage bins with bungee cords or locking lids, or store them in a locked shed. Bring pet food inside at night. Keep bird feeders emptied at night or use baffles to prevent raccoons from reaching them. Pick up fallen fruit and keep compost bins secured. Trim tree branches that overhang the roof — raccoons will use them as ladders. If you want to know which smells actually deter them, what smells raccoons hate covers the ones that work versus the ones that are folklore.
When to Call a Professional
Call a licensed wildlife control professional for any raccoon inside an attic, wall, or chimney, for any raccoon that appears sick or aggressive, for cleanup of a raccoon latrine, and for exclusion work on a roof or chimney. Never handle a raccoon or its droppings yourself — raccoon roundworm eggs are extremely difficult to kill and can survive in soil and on surfaces for years. Wildlife removal cost for raccoons vs squirrels explains typical pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do raccoons carry rabies?
Yes, raccoons are a major rabies vector in North America. Any raccoon that is active during the day, appears disoriented, or is unusually aggressive should be treated as a potential rabies risk.
Will a raccoon attack my dog or cat?
Raccoons will defend themselves and can injure or kill a pet, especially if the pet weighs significantly less. Keep pets indoors at night.
How do I know if a raccoon is still in my attic?
Watch the outside of the house at dusk for several evenings. If the raccoon is still present, you will see it leave to forage and return.
Last reviewed: November 2026.