How Much Does Raccoon Removal Cost?

Cost Range for Raccoon Removal

Raccoons are one of the largest mammals that typically invade homes, and they can be very destructive as well as dangerous at times. Expect the cost of raccoon removal to range from $175 to more than $1,000 or more based on the number of animals, how many traps are set and what’s done with the raccoons when removed.

Average Cost

The average cost of removal will be between $300 to $650, with $475 being the most common cost. For a single raccoon in a best-case situation, this could be as low as $175 when the animal is easily trapped. For an entire family of animals inside your home, the job could run as high as $1,400 or more, especially if you want the raccoons trapped alive relocated to a wild area distant from your home.

What’s not included in racoon removal price? These costs don’t cover cleanup of raccoon scat or repairs to damage incurred during the infestation, which could be significant.

Overview of Raccoon Removal or Elimination

Compared to small pests like those encountered in ant extermination or mosquito control, raccoons are big and physically imposing. The weight of an average adult raccoon 20-25 pounds, though some weigh closer to 50 pounds.

Raccoons have large, sharp teeth and strong jaws that can cause extensive damage to soffits, wood or vinyl siding, roofs, chimney covers, walls, ceilings and more as they chew their way into your home to find a nesting spot. In short, raccoons have no place inside any building that humans want to continue to use.

Here are the most common raccoon removal methods.

Live Traps

The most often used method of removing raccoons is by using live traps with bait to attract them inside. Upon tripping the trap, the entry door is closed and latched.

Professionals will have these traps, so you won’t have to purchase them, but it will require more than one visit between setting the traps and returning to remove the animals.

Manual Removal 

There may be times when a professional could determine that the immediate manual removal of an adult raccoon is an option. A catch pole may be used to snare the animal and keep it at a safe distance for removal. A nest of raccoon babies can usually be handled with sturdy gloves. This could increase the cost, both because of the labor involved to reach the critters as well as the additional danger to the exterminator.

Extermination vs Removal

The preferred method of ridding your house or property of raccoons is live trapping adults and removing them from the premises. Babies and/or young raccoons are usually located and removed manually.

Lethal methods such as poisoning are only used as a last resort because a dead animal could be very difficult to locate – and nobody needs a dead raccoon in their attic or wall cavity. The end result of solving the problem could be far more expensive than to simply trap and remove the critter. Once removed from the property, raccoons may be either humanely dispatched or relocated to an area where wildlife can live and flourish.

Keep in mind that if they are not removed a significant distance to public land, raccoons will likely become another homeowner’s problem.

*Trapper-style traps are also available for setting on the ground. The raccoon has to reach into the trap to get the bait food, triggering the trap. These traps aren’t considered humane, and the animal has to be killed once caught.

Raccoon Removal Cost Factors

There are several factors that will determine the cost of getting rid of raccoons. The good news is that because of their size, they are usually easy to locate, and their numbers rarely exceed 2 to 4 adults and perhaps a dozen babies.

The extent of the raccoon problem will be determined by an initial inspection by a licensed pest control company.

• The Severity of the Infestation – Trapping and removing a single raccoon can happen in a day and cost very little. When female raccoons have nested and have their young, the removal process is much more difficult and costly.
• The Location of the Infestation – The best-case scenario – and least costly – is that the raccoon(s) have not entered your home and are in a backyard tree or perhaps a storage shed or garage.  The worst location for a raccoon to be is in your attic – above the ceilings where there may be limited access from below. This will require more labor and drive up the cost of removal. Below are average costs of raccoon removal based on their location.
• Relocation – Many raccoons removed from private property are humanely dispatched off site and disposed of. If a homeowner chooses to have the raccoons relocated, it will increase the cost by $50 to $200 per raccoon. The reason for this is that the animal(s) will be transported to a place at least 10 miles away, so they won’t easily find their way back, and released on public land. Labor, time, extra fuel – all will cost more.

Exterminator and Application Cost Details

Cost of Services

Here are some average costs based on the methods used to eliminate the raccoons and severity of the infestation.

 DIY Methods

• $14 – $21 Each | Trapper’s Racoon Trap aka Dog Proof Trap – The raccoon reaches into a tube to “grab” a scented bait, triggering the trap. The raccoon must be killed, if it isn’t already dead from trauma. Dog proof raccoon traps are known to also catch cats but are considered safe for dogs.
• $35 – $65 Each | Cage-style Life Trap – A door is latched open, allowing the raccoon access to get to scented bait. Once inside, the raccoon steps on a lever that unlatches the door, trapping it alive inside.
• $15 – $30 | Poison Rodent Bait – Granular forms are mixed with wet cat or dog food and left near where raccoons will find it. Of course, anything else that eats it will be poisoned too.

Professional Methods

• $200 – $650 | Live Traps
• $350 – $650 | Manual Removal with Catch Pole
• $50 – $100 Each | Relocation
• $100 – $200 Each | Additional Visits to set or check traps and remove caught raccoons

Permits, Inspection, and Labor Costs

Permits and/or Inspection Cost

• $0 | Raccoon removal does not require a permit, though the pest control service should be licensed and insured. In some states, you can apply for a permit, catch and euthanize a raccoon yourself.

Exterminator Labor Cost

Most exterminator estimates are by the job, but in some cases, an hourly rate may be applied. These will vary significantly in different parts of the country. If a labor cost is listed, it will most likely be $50 to $100 per hour or slightly more.

Treatment Time

In order to completely rid your dwelling of raccoons, several visits to your home may be required. The initial inspection by a professional will determine the location of the animals and their approximate number.

The point or points of entry will determine the location of traps and if trapping will be the only method used. Once traps are set, time must pass for the animals to find them and get caught. Depending on the situation, additional visits may be necessary. Below are some general timeframes that may apply to your situation.

1 to 3 Hours | Initial inspection and placement of traps.

2 to 3 Days | Trap the animals (one raccoon per live trap, more if they get in it together).

1 to 2 Hours | Removal of captured raccoons and placement of more traps if necessary.

1 to 2 Hours | Manually remove young raccoons left after a mother is captured.

Up to 3 Hours | Transport and relocate live animals to the wild if desired.

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DIY or Hire a Pro

In rural and agricultural areas, the “shoot, shovel and shut up” method is used liberally for raccoons, feral cats and other nuisance animals. Trapping raccoons for their pelts (sold for $15 – $40 if tanned) is a thing too.

However, in suburban and urban areas or when the raccoons have got into a home, those methods aren’t widely practiced. Or they simply might not suit your sensibilities.

Quite often, a female raccoon will get into a house in order to have an out-of-the-way place to have a litter of babies. If you determine that this is the case, call your local pest control company right away. Waiting will only give the female time to start raising her young, and perhaps attracting others to join her, making the infestation worse.

Raccoons are large animals that require large live traps that cost $30 to $75 each. Most people have no need for them once their raccoon problem is solved.

A female raccoon protecting her nest, especially if the babies are present, will most often be vicious and capable of inflicting wounds on a person attempting to remove, or even approach her. They can also cause health risks to people and pets such as rabies, canine distemper, hookworm and Baylisascaris. Even if you are used to dealing with animals in the wild, having a raccoon cornered in a confined space makes hiring a pro the best choice in most situations.

Be sure to ask for quotes from 2 or 3 different companies. Check to see that they are bonded and have been in business for several years with good reviews. Having raccoons removed from your property as soon as possible is important in order to prevent the size of the infestation increasing and making the problem worse.

Unless a person is very familiar with dealing with live wild animals, DIY methods are not recommended for raccoon removal.