Raccoon

Raccoons in NYC: Urban Behavior, Why They're Thriving, and When to Call for Removal

June 6, 2025·14 min read

If you live near Prospect Park in Park Slope, along the edge of Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, or in a Queens neighborhood bordering Forest Park, you already know that raccoons in New York City are nothing like the cautious, nocturnal animals that occasionally pass through rural property. NYC raccoons are bolder, more resourceful, and in many neighborhoods more numerous than anywhere else in North America. Understanding why — and knowing when their presence crosses from nuisance into genuine hazard — is essential for any New York City homeowner or building manager.

This guide covers the science behind NYC raccoon population growth, the specific damage and health risks they cause, what New York State law says about removal, and what you should — and absolutely should not — do when raccoons move into your property.

NYC Raccoons Are Not Rural Raccoons

Research on New York City raccoons has consistently documented behavioral differences that go far beyond simple habituation to humans. A study conducted on Central Park raccoons tested the animals on a series of lock mechanisms designed to require sequential steps to open. NYC raccoons solved these problems at rates — and with a speed — that researchers found remarkable. The complexity of locks that took children aged 2 to 3 years to master were solved by Central Park raccoons within a few trials. This is not simply boldness — it reflects genuine problem-solving intelligence that is sharpened, not dulled, by urban life.

The reason is evolutionary pressure. In New York City, the raccoons that survive and reproduce most successfully are those with the greatest ability to locate and access food in a complex, human-managed environment. Over generations, this selects for animals with superior cognitive flexibility. The raccoons in Central Park, Prospect Park, and the Staten Island Greenbelt are not simply rural raccoons that have grown accustomed to people — they are the descendants of many generations of urban-adapted animals.

You will encounter this intelligence directly when you attempt to secure garbage, protect a compost bin, or raccoon-proof a deck under which a family has denned. A retail-grade bungee cord on a trash lid that worked for one week will fail as the raccoon learns the mechanism. Any exclusion strategy that relies on a single physical barrier without professional-grade fasteners and reinforcement will be defeated.

Why the NYC Raccoon Population Is Growing

New York City's raccoon population is among the densest in North America, and it continues to grow for several reasons that are structural to the city's ecology:

• No apex predators: Coyotes, which in other northeastern cities provide population pressure on raccoons, are present in NYC but not in sufficient numbers or distribution to limit raccoon populations in the five boroughs. There are no other natural predators capable of affecting raccoon population dynamics in an urban environment.
• Year-round food abundance: Restaurant and residential garbage, sewer overflow outlets containing food waste, compost bins, bird feeders, fallen fruit from ornamental trees, and intentional human feeding provide a food supply that is richer and more consistent than what rural raccoons access in most seasons.
• Urban heat island effect: NYC winters are measurably warmer than surrounding rural areas due to heat retention by impervious surfaces and heat generation by buildings. This reduces winter metabolic stress and increases kit survival rates through milder denning conditions.
• Expanding green corridors: Riverside Park, Pelham Bay Park (the largest city park in NYC at 2,772 acres), Prospect Park, the Staten Island Greenbelt, Van Cortlandt Park, and Forest Park in Queens provide interior habitat connected directly to residential neighborhoods. Raccoons move between park interiors and adjacent brownstones, row houses, and attached homes through tree canopy, rooftop-to-rooftop pathways, and utility corridors.

The result is that in neighborhoods like Crown Heights, Windsor Terrace, and Park Slope on the Brooklyn side of Prospect Park, or in Riverdale and Pelham Bay adjacent to their respective parks in the Bronx, raccoon density in some areas approaches or exceeds one per acre — a level that creates near-constant pressure on residential structures.

What Raccoons Do That Causes Problems

Urban raccoons create several categories of specific problems for New York homeowners and property managers:

• Raiding trash and compost repeatedly: NYC raccoons learn which containers on a given block are accessible and develop regular routes. A single raccoon family can disturb garbage on multiple residential lots in a single night, returning to the same containers night after night. Raccoons recognize individual containers across multiple visits — they are not randomly searching.
• Denning under decks and in crawl spaces: Brooklyn and Queens brownstones, row houses, and detached homes with raised decks or accessible crawl spaces provide ideal denning habitat. Female raccoons with young are extraordinarily difficult to dislodge without professional exclusion work — they will defend a den site aggressively and can re-enter through points you believe to be sealed.
• Entering attics through soffits and fascia: In Nassau County, Westchester, and older NYC housing stock, deteriorated soffits, fascia boards, and roof vents provide access to attics. A female raccoon can pull apart a damaged soffit joint with her front paws and teeth — these are strong animals capable of exerting significant force on building components.
• Preying on backyard poultry: The proliferation of backyard chicken and duck keeping in Staten Island, Queens, and outer Brooklyn has created a new and growing category of raccoon conflict. Raccoons are highly effective predators of confined poultry and will return repeatedly once they have located a flock.
• Vegetable garden damage: Raccoons devastate corn, tomatoes, melons, and other crops in Staten Island and Queens backyard gardens with near-total efficiency.

The Raccoon Roundworm Health Risk

The most significant public health concern associated with raccoons in New York City — more serious than rabies in terms of exposure frequency for urban residents — is Baylisascaris procyonis, the raccoon roundworm. This parasitic roundworm is carried by a large percentage of raccoons in New York State, with infection rates in urban populations estimated at 50 to 80 percent or higher.

Raccoons defecate in communal latrine sites — specific locations they return to repeatedly. On rooftops, decks, and in attics, these latrines accumulate over time. The eggs of Baylisascaris procyonis shed into these latrines become infectious within 2 to 4 weeks of being deposited and remain viable in soil and on surfaces for years, resistant to freezing, drying, and most common disinfectants.

If ingested — most commonly through hand-to-mouth contact after touching contaminated surfaces — the larvae migrate through body tissues. In the brain, this causes neural larva migrans, a condition that produces severe neurological damage and, in a significant percentage of cases, permanent disability or death. Children are at highest risk due to hand-to-mouth behavior. Several confirmed cases have occurred in the northeastern United States.

This is why raccoon latrine decontamination is not a task to be performed casually. If you discover a raccoon latrine area on your roof deck, in your attic, or on your property, do not sweep or vacuum it — this aerosolizes eggs. Proper remediation requires removal of all fecal material with disposable tools, followed by application of flame (a propane torch is effective) or boiling water to destroy eggs on hard surfaces. Contaminated soil or insulation must be removed and disposed of as potentially biohazardous waste. Protective equipment — N95 minimum respirator, disposable gloves, eye protection — is not optional. Call a licensed professional for decontamination of significant latrine areas even if the raccoon has already been removed.

When Raccoons Den in Your Home

A raccoon that is occasionally raiding your trash is an annoyance. A raccoon that has established a den inside your home is a structural and health emergency. In the five boroughs and across Nassau, Westchester, and Rockland County, raccoons most commonly den in attics, but also use wall voids, spaces under low-pitched roofs, and accessible crawl spaces.

The damage from an occupied attic den includes insulation destruction and contamination (raccoon urine and feces renders insulation non-salvageable), structural damage to framing and HVAC ductwork, introduction of external parasites including fleas and mites into the living space, and the creation of a latrine area that requires professional decontamination.

The correct removal approach uses one-way exclusion devices — tunnel or funnel mechanisms installed over the primary entry point that allow raccoons to exit but not re-enter. While the exclusion device is active, all secondary entry points are permanently sealed. After a period of at least five to seven days confirming no raccoons remain inside, the primary entry is sealed.

Critical warning: Never seal an attic when raccoons may still be inside. A mother raccoon sealed away from nursing young will cause catastrophic structural damage attempting to re-enter — she has the motivation and the physical strength to tear through roof decking, fascia, and soffits. Young raccoons sealed inside without the mother will die, creating a severe odor problem that persists for weeks and may require opening the structure for removal. If there is any possibility young are present — which is likely from February through August — professional assessment before any sealing work begins is essential.

NYC Ordinances and NYSDEC Regulations

Raccoon removal in New York is governed by New York State DEC regulations, and in New York City by additional local ordinances. Key points every property owner should understand:

• NWCO licensing: Anyone removing wildlife for compensation in New York must hold a valid Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator (NWCO) license issued by the NYSDEC. Always ask for a license number before hiring any wildlife removal company. Wildlife NY holds current NWCO licensing and operates in full compliance with NYSDEC regulations.
• Relocation restrictions: Raccoons cannot legally be released more than 10 miles from the capture site without permission from the landowner at the release site, and cannot be released in state parks, wildlife management areas, or other protected lands. Professional operators follow these restrictions — unpermitted release is a violation that can result in significant fines.
• Poison prohibition: The use of poisons to kill raccoons is illegal in New York under any circumstances. Poison raccoons can be consumed by other wildlife, raptors, and domestic pets, causing secondary poisoning throughout the food chain. Any company offering poison as a raccoon solution is operating illegally.
• Nursing season considerations: Raccoons denning with young during the nursing season require specialized handling — removal of young and reunification outside the structure, or waiting until young are mobile, depending on circumstances. A licensed NWCO will advise on the appropriate approach.

What To Do — and What Not To Do

When you have raccoons creating problems on your New York City property:

• Do not attempt to trap them yourself without understanding the regulations around relocation and the risk of separating a mother from nursing young.
• Do not use poison — it is illegal, ineffective at solving the underlying problem, and harmful to non-target wildlife.
• Do not light a fire in a chimney suspected of housing raccoons — this kills young and creates a severe remediation problem.
• Do secure food sources: Wildlife-proof trash containers, removal of outdoor pet food at night, and cessation of intentional feeding reduce the incentive for raccoons to maintain territories on or near your property.
• Do call a licensed NWCO for assessment of access points, identification of den sites, professional exclusion work, and post-removal repair and decontamination. This is the only approach that permanently resolves the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions