Raccoons are intelligent, adaptable mammals that thrive in urban and suburban environments. Their presence in residential areas is primarily driven by the search for easily accessible food and safe places to rest or raise young. Understanding these basic survival needs is the first step toward effective exclusion from your property. Implementing humane, preventative strategies focused on resource denial is the most successful approach to keeping these nocturnal visitors out of your yard.
Eliminating Primary Attractants
Raccoons are opportunistic omnivores, consuming almost any food source they discover, making resource denial the foundation of any exclusion plan. Securing household garbage is perhaps the most important measure, as standard trash cans offer a reliable, calorie-dense meal. Homeowners should utilize heavy-duty bins with locking lids or employ strong bungee cords wrapped around the container and lid to prevent easy access. Storing garbage cans inside a garage or shed until the morning of collection completely removes this major attractant.
Pet food left outside overnight is another predictable resource that draws raccoons directly into the yard. All outdoor pet dishes, including dry kibble or water, should be brought inside immediately after the animal has finished eating. Even small amounts of spilled food or residual water signal an easy meal to a passing raccoon. This practice eliminates the nightly invitation that often leads to repeated visits.
Garden spaces and fruit trees also present a natural, seasonal food source. Promptly harvesting ripe vegetables and fallen fruit prevents these items from becoming ground-level snacks. Raccoons forage extensively in gardens, often damaging plants while searching for produce. Covering compost piles or ensuring they have secure, heavy lids reduces the scent of decaying food materials.
A consistent water source, especially during drier months, encourages raccoons to stay near a property. While removing all water sources is impractical, addressing leaky outdoor spigots or ensuring bird baths are inaccessible reduces the yard’s overall appeal. Removing the primary reasons a raccoon would enter the yard—food and shelter—significantly reduces the frequency of their visits.
Securing Potential Shelter Sites
Once food sources are managed, the next step involves eliminating structural vulnerabilities raccoons exploit for nesting or resting. Raccoons frequently seek sheltered, dry spaces beneath porches, decks, and sheds to establish a den, especially during the spring birthing season. Preventing access requires installing physical barriers made of heavy-gauge wire mesh, such as galvanized hardware cloth.
The mesh should be buried in an L-shaped trench around the structure’s perimeter, extending outward at least twelve inches and then bending up at a 90-degree angle. This technique prevents the raccoon from digging underneath the barrier to gain entry. Ensuring the mesh extends from the ground directly up to the underside of the deck or shed railing creates a continuous, impenetrable wall.
Home structures can offer hidden entry points into attics or wall voids. Chimneys must be capped with heavy mesh to prevent raccoons from climbing down and nesting on the smoke shelf. Ensuring that all roof vents, soffit openings, and loose flashing are securely sealed denies the animal a path into the home’s upper levels. Regularly inspecting the roofline and foundation for small gaps is a necessary preventative measure.
Implementing Physical Barriers and Deterrents
Active methods can discourage raccoons from using the yard for foraging or travel after primary attractants and shelters have been secured. Motion-activated water sprinklers are an effective, humane deterrent that startles the nocturnal animals with a sudden spray upon detection. Placing these devices near garden beds or known travel paths can condition raccoons to avoid the area entirely. The unexpected movement, loud noise, and immediate saturation often cause the raccoon to immediately flee the zone.
For protecting specific areas like vegetable gardens, certain types of fencing are necessary to overcome the raccoon’s climbing ability. A low-voltage electric fence, consisting of two or three wires spaced a few inches apart near the ground, delivers a harmless but memorable static shock. Alternatively, wire mesh fencing must be at least four feet tall with the top six to twelve inches left loose or angled outward. This design makes it difficult for the raccoon to gain purchase and climb over the top edge.
Homeowners may consider scent or taste-based repellents, though their long-term effectiveness is often limited and requires frequent reapplication. Commercial repellents containing capsaicin or strong odors like ammonia can initially repel animals, but these substances quickly lose potency when exposed to rain or watering. Raccoons quickly learn to ignore these temporary, unreliable measures, making them poor choices for permanent exclusion. Sonic or ultrasonic devices, which emit high-frequency sounds, generally lack scientific evidence supporting their ability to consistently deter raccoons from a property, as animals often habituate to the noise. Focusing on physical barriers and immediate, startling deterrents provides a more consistent, long-term result.
Safety and Local Regulations
Interacting with raccoons or cleaning up after them requires careful attention due to potential health risks. Raccoon feces can contain the eggs of the parasitic roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis, which poses a health hazard to humans and pets. Any area contaminated with droppings should be cleaned using gloves, a face mask, and a bleach solution. The material should be immediately sealed and disposed of.
While direct contact with raccoons is rare, they are potential carriers of the rabies virus, transmitted through a bite. Any raccoon exhibiting unusual behavior, such as staggering, daytime activity, or a lack of fear of humans, should be avoided and reported to local animal control authorities. Humane exclusion strategies are preferable to trapping, which carries legal and safety implications.
State and local ordinances strictly regulate the trapping, handling, and relocation of wildlife, sometimes requiring a license or professional certification. Homeowners are advised to contact a licensed wildlife control operator if exclusion methods fail to resolve a persistent issue. Attempting to trap and relocate a raccoon without professional knowledge can be illegal and may shift the problem to a new location.