Raccoon in Your Attic? Here's Exactly What to Do

It usually starts with a thump above your bedroom at 2 a.m. Then scratching, then a rolling sound — like something heavy shifting insulation around. If you live in New York and you hear that sequence, there is a very good chance a raccoon has moved into your attic. Here is exactly what to do, what mistakes to avoid, and when the situation becomes an emergency.

Step 1: Confirm It's Actually a Raccoon

Before doing anything else, confirm you are dealing with a raccoon and not squirrels, rats, or birds. The sounds are different. Raccoons are large — up to 30 pounds — so their movements in an attic sound heavy and deliberate, usually between dusk and dawn. Squirrels are active during daylight and move quickly. Rats are lighter and more frantic. Birds scratch and flutter.

Other confirmation signs: raccoon droppings are large (similar to a small dog's), tubular, and often deposited in a single "latrine" area — a behavior unique to raccoons among common attic invaders. You may also find torn insulation, muddy paw prints around roof edges, and damaged soffits or fascia boards near the roofline.

If you can safely access your attic during daylight, use a flashlight to look for matted insulation, droppings, and entry points. Do not touch droppings without an N95 mask and gloves — raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) is transmissible to humans and dogs, and the eggs survive for years in soil and insulation.

Step 2: What NOT to Do (This Is Critical)

New York homeowners often make three serious mistakes that turn a manageable situation into a costly disaster:

Don't Seal Entry Points While They're Inside

This is the most common and most harmful mistake. If you seal a raccoon in — especially a nursing mother — she will tear through drywall, chew wiring, destroy ductwork, and cause thousands of dollars in structural damage trying to get back to her kits. Between January and June, assume any adult female raccoon in your attic may have a litter. Kits are born blind and helpless and will not be visible in your attic until they are 6–8 weeks old.

Don't Use Poison

There are no legally registered pesticides for raccoon control in New York State. Using rat poison or any other toxicant on raccoons is illegal under NYS DEC regulations and the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act implications for secondary poisoning. Beyond legality, a poisoned raccoon dying inside your walls creates an expensive odor and carcass removal problem that can last months.

Don't Use Repellents as a Sole Strategy

Mothballs, ammonia rags, and ultrasonic devices are widely sold as raccoon repellents. None are effective for evicting a mother raccoon who has already established a den with young. The scent may temporarily shift her to a different corner of your attic but will not cause her to leave. You are wasting time while the damage compounds.

Step 3: The Professional Removal Process

A licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator (NWCO) — the designation required by NYS DEC — will follow a systematic process:

1. Full exterior inspection to identify all entry points, not just the obvious one. Raccoons often use a primary entry and a secondary "escape" route.
2. Attic inspection to assess the extent of damage, locate the den site, and determine if kits are present.
3. One-way door installation at the primary entry point so raccoons can exit but not re-enter. If kits are present, the mother and young may need to be physically removed by hand and reunited outside the structure.
4. Temporary sealing of all secondary entry points while the one-way door is active (usually 5–7 days).
5. Confirmation of eviction, then permanent sealing of all entry points with heavy-gauge galvanized steel mesh (minimum 16-gauge, ½-inch hardware cloth).
6. Attic remediation — removal of soiled insulation, decontamination with enzyme-based cleaners, and reinstallation of insulation to appropriate R-values (R-49 is now required in new NY construction).

In New York City specifically, the process may also involve coordination with building management, co-op boards, or landlords. NYC raccoons — particularly in the Bronx, Staten Island, and the wooded edges of Queens — are highly habituated to humans and significantly bolder than suburban populations. Urban raccoons have learned that aggression deters humans, which is an additional safety reason to use a professional.

What Does Raccoon Removal Cost in New York?

Expect to pay in ranges based on scope:

• Inspection: $75–$150 (often credited toward service)
• Removal (trapping or exclusion): $300–$600
• Entry point sealing (per point): $150–$350
• Full attic remediation (insulation removal + replacement): $1,500–$6,000+ depending on attic size and damage extent

Nassau County and Westchester properties with older construction and cedar shake rooflines tend to require more extensive sealing work than newer construction. NYC brownstones and attached rowhomes present unique challenges because raccoons can move between building to building through shared rooftop spaces — a single-building seal may not be sufficient without neighbor coordination.

When Is It an Emergency?

Call for same-day service if:

• A raccoon has entered living space (attic hatch left open, fell through ceiling).
• You see a raccoon active during the day — this can indicate distemper or rabies and should be reported to your local health department immediately.
• You smell smoke or burning from the attic — raccoon damage to wiring is a fire risk.
• A raccoon is cornered and showing aggression toward pets or children.
• You hear distress calls from kits (a crying sound) and the mother has not returned in 24+ hours — orphaned kits require licensed wildlife rehabilitator intervention.

NYS DEC maintains a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators by county. However, for removal and exclusion from a structure, you need an NWCO, not a rehabilitator — these are separate licenses with different scopes.

Preventing Future Raccoon Intrusions

After eviction and sealing, reduce your property's attractiveness:

• Use wildlife-proof trash cans with locking lids — NYC's raccoon population is largely sustained by unsecured garbage. The city's containerization mandate (bins required for most buildings as of 2023) is already reducing raccoon-human conflict in dense areas.
• Trim tree branches to at least 10 feet from your roofline — raccoons are excellent climbers but cannot jump more than 4 feet horizontally from a branch.
• Install chimney caps if you have an uncapped masonry chimney — chimneys are the second most common raccoon entry point after soffits.
• Repair any roof damage, rotted fascia, or loose soffit vents within 30 days of the exclusion — raccoons test perimeters and will exploit any new weakness.

Frequently Asked Questions