Raccoons look charming in videos, but on your property they chew through electrical wiring, tear out shingles and insulation, loosen wooden boards, destroy lawns, eat garden plants, scatter trash, and leave food detritus that attracts other pests. They are smart and resourceful, and they will set up a den anywhere food, water, and shelter come together: a barn, a warm attic, a crawl space, or the gap under a deck. The plan that works starts with the basics of how to get rid of raccoons, which means removing the attractions before you try to remove the animals. This article covers what draws them in, seven proven removal methods, and the year-round habits that keep them away.
What Attracts Raccoons to Your Property
Food, water, and shelter are the three magnets. Raccoons are omnivores, so almost anything edible works: unsecured trash, pet food left on the porch, bird feeders, compost piles, fallen fruit, and grubs in the lawn. Water comes from pet bowls, ponds, birdbaths, and clogged gutters. Shelter means attics, chimneys, sheds, barns, crawl spaces, and the gaps under porches and decks.
The Three Attractants, Ranked
- Food first: trash cans without lids, pet food bowls, and open compost are the strongest draws.
- Water second: a reliable water source keeps raccoons returning even when food is scarce.
- Shelter third: a quiet den site makes the property home, not just a stop.
Signs Raccoons Are Already There
Look for overturned trash cans with lid-sized holes, small hand-like footprints with five toes, droppings near the house, patches of lawn rolled back like carpet, and noises in the attic or chimney at night. Raccoons are mostly nocturnal, so the damage appears between sunset and sunrise. Confirm the signs before you act, because opossums and skunks leave similar messes.
Raccoons are not the only animals that exploit a neglected house. Carpenter ants move in through the same gaps and moisture problems, and the two pests often appear together. Learning how to identify and get rid of carpenter ants covers the sealing and moisture fixes that close off entry points for raccoons as well, so one repair pass handles both.
Seven Ways to Get Rid of Raccoons
Trapping is not on this list. In many states, relocating raccoons is illegal or requires a permit, and a removed raccoon is quickly replaced by another from the territory. Start with these seven methods instead.
- Remove food sources: take pet food inside, bring bird feeders in at night, and pick up fallen fruit.
- Secure trash cans: use locking lids or bungee cords, and store cans in the garage until pickup morning.
- Eliminate water sources: empty pet bowls at night, fix dripping spigots, and keep gutters flowing.
- Close off shelter: repair vents, cap the chimney, and block access under decks and porches.
- Use motion-activated deterrents: floodlights and sprinklers startle raccoons at night.
- Apply scent and taste repellents: ammonia-soaked rags, predator urine, and hot-pepper sprays discourage return visits.
- Call a licensed wildlife professional if a raccoon is inside the house or attic.
Why Trapping Usually Backfires
Traps catch the wrong animals more often than the right one: skunks, opossums, and neighborhood cats walk into the same bait. Relocating a raccoon also strands it in unfamiliar territory where it fights for food and shelter, and the empty den site draws the next raccoon within weeks. Professional trappers follow local laws and handle the animal humanely, which is the only version of trapping worth doing.
The One Exception: Licensed Professionals
When a raccoon has taken up residence inside the structure, call a professional. A licensed wildlife operator knows the local rules, can find every entry point, and will seal them after removal. For a detailed rundown of each method, the how to get rid of raccoons guide from Bob Vila covers deterrents, repellents, and the legal side of trapping, and it is a useful reference before you spend money on any product.
Eliminate Shelter and Hiding Spots
Raccoons spend the day hidden and move at night, so removing daytime cover pushes them out of the yard. Brush piles, overgrown shrubs, woodpiles, ivy-covered fences, and abandoned sheds all qualify as shelter. Clear the cover within 50 feet of the house first, because that is the zone raccoons cross every night.
Clear the Brush and Thickets
Dense stands of invasive shrubs give raccoons cover within steps of the back door. Buckthorn is one of the worst, forming thickets that shelter entire families, and the smart removal strategies that work for buckthorn involve cutting the stems, treating the stumps, and replanting with native species. The same thoroughness applies to any thicket near the foundation: if you cannot see through it, raccoons can hide in it.
Trim the Perimeter
Keep shrubs trimmed at least 3 feet away from the house so raccoons cannot use them to reach the roofline. Remove ivy from walls, store firewood 20 feet from the house and off the ground, and close gaps under sheds with wire mesh or gravel. A clean perimeter gives raccoons nowhere to hide and makes the yard feel exposed to them.
Protect Your Garden, Lawn, and Compost
Raccoons dig lawns to reach grubs, strip sweet corn and berries, and treat open compost piles as a buffet. Protecting the yard is mostly about denying access, and the methods are the same for every food source: cover it, fence it, or harvest it first.
Stop the Lawn Digging
The rolled-back patches of turf are raccoons hunting grubs. Treat the grub population with milky spore or beneficial nematodes, which kill the larvae without poisoning the soil. Water deeply and less often so grass roots grow deeper, and repair damaged patches quickly so weeds do not move in.
Fence the Edible Garden
A 3 to 4 foot fence with an outward-leaning top section stops most raccoons, and a single electrified wire at the top makes it nearly proof. Harvest crops as soon as they ripen, pick up fallen fruit daily, and cover the compost pile with a weighted lid. Keep the compost moist and turned; a dry, closed pile smells less and draws fewer animals.
Watch the Indoor Pests Too
Moisture problems draw pests indoors as well as out. Plant gnats breed in damp potting soil, and effective ways to get rid of plant gnats and keep them away start with letting the soil dry between waterings and removing the breeding ground, the same remove-the-source logic that works for raccoons in the yard.
Prevent Raccoons From Returning
Prevention is consistency. Raccoons test every property, and the ones that stay are the ones that find food, water, or shelter. Keep trash cans secured until pickup morning, feed pets inside, bring feeders in at night, and recheck the perimeter after storms, because raccoons exploit new gaps quickly.
Seasonal Checkpoints
| Season | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Inspect attic and chimney after winter denning; repair vents | Evicts litters before they grow |
| Summer | Secure fruit trees and garden harvest; treat grubs | Removes the seasonal food draw |
| Fall | Raccoons bulk up for winter; double-check trash lids | Hunger makes them bolder |
| Winter | Monitor for denning; keep compost covered | Warm shelter is the winter attractant |
Rural Properties Need Extra Steps
Houses surrounded by woods face heavier pressure because raccoon populations are larger and cover is everywhere. Fencing the orchard, lighting the yard edges, and storing feed in metal containers matter more than any repellent. The how to get rid of raccoons article from Log Home Living covers fencing, orchard protection, and trash handling for rural settings in more depth.
Stay Consistent With Year-Round Maintenance
One cleanup does not solve a raccoon problem; keeping the property uninviting does. The animals return as long as the attractions return, so the routine has to be as persistent as they are. Walk the yard each evening, secure the cans, and fix anything that changes.
Small Problems Compound Fast
Garden pests of every size follow the same rule. Aphids multiply on a single plant within days, and the steps for how to get rid of aphids and prevent infestation in your garden are the same pattern of inspection, removal, and prevention you apply to raccoons: find the problem early, remove what feeds it, and keep the environment uninviting.
A healthy lawn is part of the defense. Raccoons dig turf for grubs, and a dense, well-fed stand of grass with fewer grubs gives them less reason to visit at all. The effective methods to get rid of clover in your lawn without damaging grass show how to treat weeds while protecting the turf, keeping the yard thick enough to resist both weeds and digging. Remove the food, close the shelter, and stay consistent, and the raccoons will move on to an easier property.