Raccoons at home: signs in the attic and chimney, safe eviction, latrine cleanup and the rules on trapping

Signs of raccoons in and around the house

Raccoons are mostly active at night, so you usually hear or find the evidence before you see the animal.

• Noises after dark in the attic (loft in British English), walls or chimney, often thumping, scratching and chirring from young in spring.
• Damage at roof level: torn shingles, fascia boards or rooftop vents, which a female may rip open to get in.
• Insulation pulled apart in the attic, including the insulation on ducts.
• Stains on the ceiling and a smell, where raccoons use part of the attic as a latrine.
• Tipped trash cans, scattered garbage and pet bowls licked clean overnight.
• Rolled-back turf, especially newly laid sod, where raccoons dig for worms and grubs. Small cone-shaped holes in a lawn point more to skunks.
• Droppings in piles in the same spot: at the base of a tree or in a fork, on logs, stumps, large rocks, woodpiles, decks, roofs, garages and attics.

A raccoon out in daylight is not necessarily sick: raccoons often shift their feeding times in spring. Watch instead for aggression without reason, a wobbly walk, paralysis, unusual tameness or confusion, and report a raccoon like that to animal control, the local police or your state wildlife agency.

When to evict: work around the kits

In Connecticut, raccoons give birth from late March to May and raise their young through June and July. Wisconsin's wildlife agency gives April or May as the usual birth months, sometimes March, with litters of 2 to 6 kits. The young walk and climb at 6 to 8 weeks and are weaned at 8 to 12 weeks.

That gives you two practical rules:

• If you can wait, Connecticut's wildlife agency suggests tolerating a denning mother until the young leave at about 8 weeks. The family often moves out by itself.
• If you cannot wait, use gentle harassment so the mother moves the kits herself. She carries them one at a time, which can take several nights.

Trapping the mother and leaving the kits is the worst outcome: UC IPM warns that a trapped female may be nursing young that would then starve in the wall or chimney.

Found a kit on its own?

If its eyes are open and it is not in immediate danger, watch from a distance; young raccoons are very vocal and the mother often comes back for them. If its eyes are still closed, or it is hurt, call your state wildlife agency or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before you touch it.

How to get raccoons out of the attic or chimney

1. 01

   Find the entry

   Walk around the house at dusk and look for the hole: a torn soffit, lifted shingles, a damaged roof vent or the top of the chimney. Note any overhanging branches the raccoon uses to reach the roof.

2. 02

   Add light and noise

   Connecticut's wildlife agency recommends light plus a portable radio left playing near the den. Rags soaked in vinegar or ammonia nearby can add to the effect.

3. 03

   Give it a few nights

   The mother needs time to find a new den and move the kits one by one. Keep the fireplace unused while a family is in the chimney.

4. 04

   Check that it is empty

   Loosely plug the entry with crumpled newspaper. If it stays undisturbed for a few nights in a row, the den is empty. Listen for kits before you go further.

5. 05

   Seal it the same day

   Repair the hole with sturdy material and cap the chimney with a securely fastened cap or spark arrester that meets your local fire code.

6. 06

   Remove the ladders

   Trim branches that reach the roof and keep trees and shrubs from giving easy access.

Keeping raccoons out of decks, porches and sheds

Decks, porches and sheds make easy dens once the space underneath is open. UC IPM recommends screening openings with 10-gauge galvanized hardware cloth with a 1/4-inch or 1/3-inch mesh. Bury the bottom edge at least 6 inches deep, bend it 12 inches outward and cover it with soil, so a digging raccoon meets wire. Fit it only after you have confirmed the space is empty.

Securing trash, pet food and other attractions

Raccoons return to reliable food, so this is where long-term success comes from.

• Trash: use metal cans with tight lids and secure them in a rack or to a post so they cannot tip. Snaps on the lids and a handle tied to a stake in the ground help, as does storing cans in a garage or a closed wooden bin.
• Pet food: bring bowls in before dark and store pet and livestock feed indoors.
• Bird feeders: place them away from climbable trees and buildings, and fit guards on the poles.
• Fruit and nuts: pick up windfalls often.
• Compost: keep it in a closed bin.
• Ponds: raccoons fish well and take ornamental fish, so netting or cover helps.
• Sandboxes: cover them when not in use, because raccoons may use them as a latrine.
• Feeding raccoons on purpose draws them in and keeps them coming back.

What works and what does not

UC IPM reports that lights, sound devices, motion-activated sprinklers and similar gadgets work for a few days at most, because raccoons quickly learn they are harmless. Commercial chemical repellents have not proved effective for raccoons, and mothballs, blood meal and other home remedies have failed too. Use light and noise only as a short push during an eviction, and rely on exclusion and food control for lasting results.

Raccoon poop and how to clean a latrine safely

Raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) lives in raccoons and sheds eggs in their droppings. The eggs are invisible to the naked eye, need 2 to 4 weeks in the environment before they can infect, and resist most chemical disinfectants. People are infected by swallowing them, which is why the CDC says most cases are in children and others likely to put soil or animal waste in their mouth. Human infections are rare but can be severe, affecting the eyes, organs or brain. Cleaning up promptly removes eggs before they become infective.

1. 01

   Protect yourself

   Wear disposable gloves and rubber boots you can scrub, or disposable boot covers, so you do not carry eggs indoors. In attics and other confined spaces, wear an N95 respirator; Connecticut's wildlife agency recommends a respirator with HEPA filters.

2. 02

   Keep the dust down

   Lightly mist the droppings with water from a spray bottle before you touch them.

3. 03

   Remove the droppings

   Pick them up with the soiled material and bag them for the landfill, or burn or bury them.

4. 04

   Treat outdoor surfaces with heat

   Heat kills the eggs instantly. Pour boiling water over decks, patios and steps; the CDC also mentions a propane torch, but check your local fire department's rules first and never use a flame near anything that can burn.

5. 05

   Clean indoor spots gently

   Wipe with a damp, not wet, sponge and hot soapy water, rinse the sponge often, flush the dirty water down the toilet, then bag the sponge for the trash.

6. 06

   Wash up

   Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water, and launder clothes in hot water with detergent.

Trapping and relocation: rules vary by state

Driving a trapped raccoon to the woods is against the law in several states:

• Connecticut: state law prohibits relocating trapped raccoons. Animals may be released on-site once chimneys are capped and openings closed; otherwise they must be humanely euthanized. Traps must be checked at least once a day and tagged with the owner's name.
• California: raccoons are classed as furbearers, and relocating them requires written permission from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Relocated animals often survive poorly, wander widely and can spread disease to other wildlife. Check your own state wildlife agency's rules before you buy a trap. Extension guidance calls for a cage trap of at least 10 × 12 × 32 inches, but for most homes a professional is the safer route.

When to call a wildlife control operator

Call a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator (NWCO) when:

• The den is on the roof, in the chimney or anywhere you cannot reach safely.
• Young are inside and you need them removed and reunited with the mother.
• There is a large latrine in the attic or crawl space.
• Insulation, ductwork or roof sheathing is damaged.
• A raccoon seems sick, injured or aggressive: call animal control.

Questions to ask: are you licensed by the state? Do you evict and exclude, or only trap? How do you handle kits? Will you seal the entry and cap the chimney, and is the repair guaranteed? Do you clean up latrines and contaminated insulation? After the work, your chimney and attic insulation may also need attention.

Sources

Government and university guidance, checked on 27 October 2026.

• CDC · Preventing Baylisascaris infection ↗Latrine sites, sandboxes, 2 to 4 weeks for eggs to become infective, protective gear, damp cleanup, heat treatment and disposal.
• CDC · About Baylisascaris ↗How people are infected, children as the main group at risk, symptoms and when to seek medical care.
• CDC · About rabies ↗Raccoons among the animals most often found with rabies, washing wounds and urgent medical care.
• University of California IPM · Raccoons ↗Size, signs, attic and lawn damage, hardware cloth, electric fencing, food sources, repellents, trap size and California relocation rules.
• Connecticut DEEP · Problems with raccoons ↗Birth timing, signs of illness, eviction by light and noise, chimney caps, trash cans, trapping and the relocation ban.
• Wisconsin DNR · Raccoon kits ↗Birth months, litter size, development of the young, kits found alone and eviction from attics and chimneys.