Raccoon Removal

Raccoon Removal and Exclusion Across New York State

January 10, 2025·11 min read

Raccoons are the most commonly handled nuisance wildlife species in New York State, and it's not difficult to understand why. With an estimated population of over 500,000 statewide and healthy urban populations in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley, raccoons have adapted to suburban and urban environments with remarkable success. They are intelligent, adaptable, and capable of causing thousands of dollars in structural damage when they establish a den inside your home.

This guide covers what New York homeowners need to know about raccoon behavior, NYSDEC regulations, the professional removal process, and how to permanently exclude them from your property.

Why Raccoons Target New York Homes

Raccoons in New York are opportunistic denners. In the wild, they prefer hollow trees, but in suburban and urban environments, attics, chimneys, crawlspaces, and spaces under decks offer superior protection from weather and predators. A well-insulated attic in Nassau County or Westchester is, from a raccoon's perspective, vastly preferable to an exposed tree hollow.

Females actively seek enclosed denning sites from late January through April when they are pregnant or nursing. This is when attic intrusions peak. A pregnant female will test every potential entry point on your roofline — loose soffits, deteriorated fascia boards, uncapped chimneys, damaged roof vents — and will exploit any opening larger than 4 inches. Once inside, she will give birth to a litter of 2–5 kits and remain in your attic for 8–12 weeks until the young are mobile.

Male raccoons (boars) are less likely to den in structures but will opportunistically use attics for shelter during cold snaps. Both sexes will investigate and use spaces under decks, porches, and sheds year-round, and skunks and groundhogs often follow raccoons into sites the raccoon has already excavated or opened.

The Damage Raccoons Cause in New York Attics

Raccoon attic damage falls into four categories, all of which create significant repair costs:

• Insulation destruction: Raccoons flatten and contaminate insulation with urine, feces, and body oils. A single raccoon family can destroy the insulation in an average Long Island attic within a single season, reducing R-value from R-38 to nearly nothing in the affected area. Contaminated insulation cannot be cleaned — it must be removed and replaced.
• Structural damage: Raccoons chew through wood framing, drywall, and plastic components. They also damage HVAC ductwork, which can redirect heating and cooling loss into the attic space rather than the living area below.
• Electrical wiring: While raccoons chew wiring less frequently than squirrels, it does occur — particularly in older homes where insulation on wiring has become brittle. Damaged wiring in attic spaces is a fire hazard and is expensive to repair, especially in finished attic conversions common in Westchester and Long Island Colonials.
• Disease contamination: Raccoon latrine sites — concentrated areas where raccoons repeatedly defecate — accumulate Baylisascaris procyonis eggs, which are environmentally resistant and remain infectious for years. Full remediation requires professional-grade enzyme decontaminants and removal of affected insulation.

NYSDEC Regulations: What New York Homeowners Must Know

Raccoons are classified as a furbearing animal by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). This classification creates several important regulatory constraints:

• Homeowner trapping: Property owners may trap raccoons causing damage to their property without a license. However, trapped raccoons cannot be relocated more than 10 miles from the capture site without permission from the property owner at the release site. They may not be released in state parks, wildlife management areas, or other protected lands.
• Commercial removal: Anyone removing raccoons for payment must hold a valid Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator (NWCO) license. This license requires completion of NYSDEC-approved training and examination. Ask any wildlife removal company for their NWCO license number — a reputable operator will provide it immediately.
• Lethal methods: Shooting raccoons is permitted under certain conditions but is subject to seasonal restrictions and local ordinances. In densely populated areas (most of New York City and many suburban municipalities), firearm discharge is prohibited. Poison is never legal for raccoon removal in New York.
• Chimney denning: Raccoons denning in chimneys are protected from eviction during the nursing season (approximately May 1 through August 15) in many NYSDEC regions, though specific guidance varies. A licensed NWCO will advise on current regional guidance.

The Professional Raccoon Removal Process

A properly executed raccoon removal involves more than setting a trap. A licensed NWCO will:

1. Conduct a full exterior inspection to identify every potential entry point. Raccoons typically exploit a primary entry and one or more secondary points. Sealing only the obvious entry without identifying all others guarantees re-entry.
2. Perform an attic inspection to assess damage, locate the den site, determine whether kits are present, and identify contamination areas requiring remediation.
3. Install one-way exclusion devices at the primary entry — a tunnel or funnel device that allows raccoons to exit but not re-enter. If kits are present and not yet mobile, they may need to be physically removed by hand and placed in a heated reunification box outside the structure where the mother can retrieve them.
4. Seal all secondary entry points with heavy-gauge galvanized steel mesh (minimum 16-gauge, ½-inch hardware cloth) while the exclusion device is active.
5. Confirm eviction after 5–7 days, then permanently seal the primary entry point with the same steel materials.
6. Provide a written remediation assessment documenting insulation damage, structural issues, and decontamination requirements.

Chimney Raccoon Removal: A Special Case

Chimneys are the second most common raccoon entry point in New York, particularly in older homes with uncapped masonry chimneys. Raccoons perceive a chimney as a hollow tree — ideal denning habitat. A female raccoon in a chimney will descend to the smoke shelf (the ledge just above the firebox) where she establishes her den. This places her — and her kits — just a few feet above your living space.

Never light a fire to drive raccoons out of a chimney. This will not cause an adult raccoon to leave, but it will kill helpless kits in the den. The resulting dead animal odor problem is severe, lasts for weeks, and is expensive to remediate.

The correct method involves eviction fluids (commercially available predator scent products) applied at the chimney top to encourage voluntary departure, followed by a one-way exclusion funnel, and finally installation of a properly rated stainless steel chimney cap. A cap rated for raccoon exclusion uses a solid mesh on the sides — not the open-sided spark arrestors that raccoons can pull open with their dexterous paws.

Preventing Raccoon Intrusions in New York Properties

After exclusion work is complete, reduce the factors that attract raccoons:

• Install wildlife-proof trash containers with locking lids. New York City's containerization mandate has already reduced raccoon-human conflicts in high-density areas.
• Trim trees so no branch is within 10 feet of your roofline — raccoons can jump approximately 4 feet horizontally from a branch.
• Repair deteriorated fascia boards, soffits, and roof vents promptly. Raccoons test perimeters and will exploit any new opening that develops.
• Remove outdoor pet food at night. A food source adjacent to your home dramatically increases the probability of a raccoon investigating your structure.
• Secure compost bins with raccoon-proof lids or fully enclosed designs.

Frequently Asked Questions