Raccoon Removal: Humane Eviction, Repairs and Prevention

Raccoons are clever, strong and very comfortable living close to people. A quiet attic, an open chimney or the dry space under a deck gives them everything they want: warmth, shelter and a safe place to raise their young. Once they move in, they rarely leave on their own, and the longer they stay, the more damage and contamination they leave behind.

Greater Wildlife Control is a Canadian wildlife removal network that focuses on humane raccoon removal for homes and commercial buildings. Our trained technicians find out how the animals got in, evict them without harming them, clean up what they left behind and seal the building so they cannot return. This page explains how the service works from the first inspection to the final repair.

Signs You Have Raccoons

Raccoons are large animals, so they are rarely subtle. Most property owners notice one or more of the following:

• Heavy thumping or walking sounds in the attic or ceiling, usually at dusk, overnight or just before dawn.
• Chirping, purring or crying noises in spring and early summer, which often means a mother is raising kits inside.
• Torn or lifted shingles, bent roof vents or ripped soffits, especially near the roofline or where a tree branch overhangs the house.
• Disturbed insulation visible from the attic hatch, or water stains on ceilings where urine has soaked through.
• Droppings in one spot, such as a corner of a flat roof, the top of a deck, or a section of the attic. Raccoons use shared toilet areas called latrines.
• Knocked-over bins, dug-up lawns and scattered garbage around the yard, a sign that raccoons are feeding nearby and may be denning close by.
• Strong, musky odours coming from the attic, walls or crawlspace.

If you notice any of these, have the building inspected before a small opening becomes a bigger problem.

Why Raccoons in a Building Need Prompt Attention

Structural damage

Raccoons are powerful and persistent. They will pry up roof vents, tear through soffit panels and widen small gaps until they can squeeze inside. Once in the attic, they flatten and soil insulation, chew on ductwork and can damage electrical wiring, which creates a potential fire hazard. On commercial properties they target flat roofs, rooftop HVAC equipment, loading areas and roofing membranes, which can lead to leaks and costly downtime.

Health risks

Raccoon droppings are the biggest concern. Latrines in attics, crawlspaces, decks and flat roofs can contain raccoon roundworm eggs, which are hardy and can stay infectious for years. People, dogs and other pets can be exposed through contact with contaminated material. Raccoons can also carry diseases such as canine distemper and leptospirosis, which can affect household pets. Nesting material, urine and droppings near vents or air intakes also affect indoor air quality.

More wildlife

An unsealed opening does not stay a one-animal problem. Once a raccoon has torn a hole in a roof or soffit, squirrels, birds and other animals can use it as well. Leaving the problem alone often means dealing with several species later.

Our Humane Raccoon Removal Process

Greater Wildlife Control uses an exclusion-first approach. Instead of relying on trapping alone, we encourage raccoons to leave on their own and then make sure they cannot get back in.

1. Full inspection

A technician inspects the roof, attic, walls, chimney, vents, soffits, decks and foundation. The goal is to find every active entry point, every weak spot that could become one, and any nesting areas. The technician also looks for droppings, damaged insulation and food sources around the property that attract raccoons in the first place.

On larger or commercial buildings, the inspection covers the entire exterior envelope, including roof flashing, rooftop equipment, screens and structural gaps, so that no secondary access holes are missed.

After the inspection, you receive a clear explanation of what was found and what needs to be done.

2. Check for babies

Before any opening is sealed, we confirm whether a mother raccoon has young inside. Sealing a building with kits still in the attic would separate them from their mother, harm the animals and lead to a determined adult tearing a new hole to get back to them. Baby season changes the process, as explained below.

3. One-way door installation

A one-way door is fitted over the main entry point. Raccoons can push their way out when they leave to feed, but the door does not let them back in. This lets the animals leave naturally, without handling, and is widely regarded as the most humane way to remove raccoons from a structure. For commercial buildings, heavy-duty spring-loaded doors are used to suit larger openings and busier sites.

4. Seal and protect

While the one-way door is in place, secondary openings and vulnerable areas are sealed with durable, wildlife-resistant materials such as heavy-gauge screening and galvanized steel mesh, which raccoons cannot easily chew or tear through. Once the animals are confirmed gone, the main entry is permanently closed.

5. Cleanup and restoration

When raccoons have been living inside, the job is not finished when they leave. We remove droppings, nesting material and soiled insulation, and sanitize affected areas. Where needed, attic insulation can be removed and replaced. Dead animal removal is also available.

6. Prevention advice

Finally, we go over the steps that will keep raccoons from coming back, from roof vent screening to how garbage is stored.

Baby Season: Extra Care From Spring to Summer

Raccoon breeding season generally runs from about March through August. With a gestation period of roughly two months, most females give birth in spring, usually to a litter of two to eight kits. Mothers often choose attics and chimneys because they are warm, dry and protected.

During this time, removal takes more care:

• The technician searches the attic or chimney for kits before any sealing is done.
• Where kits can be reached, they are removed by hand and placed safely near the exit so the mother can retrieve them and move them to another den.
• The mother is then encouraged out through a one-way door, and the building is sealed only once the whole family is out.

This approach keeps the family together, avoids leaving young animals trapped inside, and prevents the damage a mother raccoon will cause trying to reach her kits. Because it takes more time and attention, baby season work is usually more involved than a simple eviction.

Damage Repair and Wildlife Proofing

Removing the raccoons only solves half the problem. If the building is not repaired and reinforced, the same animals or new ones will find a way back in. Common repair and prevention work includes:

• Roof vent guards made from heavy-gauge screening, so raccoons cannot pry vents off.
• Chimney caps to keep raccoons and other animals out of the flue.
• Soffit and fascia repairs with reinforced backing where panels have been torn.
• Drip edge installation and roofline sealing to close gaps along the edge of the roof.
• Deck, porch and shed screening, using an L-shaped barrier of steel mesh buried at the base so animals cannot dig underneath.
• Sealing of secondary gaps around plumbing stacks, gable vents, rooflines and other weak points.

How to Discourage Raccoons Around Your Property

Good habits around the home make your property far less attractive to raccoons:

• Store garbage, recycling and green bins in a garage or shed, or secure them with heavy-duty latches.
• Do not leave pet food or water bowls outside overnight.
• Clean up fallen birdseed and fruit, and consider removing bird feeders if raccoons are active.
• Never feed raccoons on purpose. It teaches them to rely on people and draws them closer to buildings.
• Trim tree branches that hang over the roof.
• Keep compost in a sealed bin.
• Check the roof, vents and soffits each year, especially after storms, and repair any damage quickly.

Ontario Rules for Raccoon Removal

In Ontario, raccoons are wildlife protected under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. Property owners may deal with nuisance animals that are damaging their property, but strict rules apply. If a raccoon is live-trapped, it must be released within one kilometre of where it was captured. Moving raccoons long distances is not allowed, because it separates mothers from their young, spreads disease and rarely solves the problem. Local municipalities may also have by-laws that affect wildlife work, so check with your city before acting.

These rules are one of the reasons exclusion with one-way doors is preferred: the animals stay in their home range, and the building is protected without the need to trap and move them.

Commercial Raccoon Removal

Raccoons cause particular trouble on commercial properties such as warehouses, offices, retail plazas and multi-unit buildings. Large flat roofs, loading docks and rooftop equipment give them plenty of shelter. Contamination near food storage or air intakes can lead to health and safety concerns for employees and customers.

Commercial raccoon removal follows the same humane process, scaled up for the site. Technicians inspect the whole building envelope, use heavy-duty one-way doors, seal roof penetrations and equipment openings, and schedule work to keep disruption to day-to-day operations as low as possible.

Book a Raccoon Inspection

If you hear raccoons in the attic, see damage on the roof or find droppings around your property, do not wait for the problem to grow. Contact Greater Wildlife Control to book an inspection. Our trained technicians will find the entry points, remove the raccoons humanely, clean up the mess and help make sure they do not come back.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if it is raccoons and not squirrels in my attic?

Raccoons are much heavier than squirrels, so they sound like heavy walking or thumping rather than light scurrying. Raccoons are mostly active at night, while squirrels are busiest in the morning and late afternoon. Large torn openings in the roof or soffit also point to raccoons.

Is it safe to remove raccoons myself?

Trying to handle raccoons without experience can be risky. Mothers protecting kits can be aggressive, droppings may carry roundworm eggs, and trapping comes with legal requirements in Ontario. Sealing an opening without checking for babies can also trap young animals inside. A trained technician can handle the job safely and humanely.

Will the raccoons be harmed?

No. One-way doors let raccoons leave on their own, and during baby season kits are reunited with their mother so she can move them to a new den.

What happens to raccoons after they leave my home?

They stay in their local area and find another natural den. Because the building has been sealed, they cannot return to your attic or roof.

How long does raccoon removal take?

Most evictions take a few days once the one-way door is installed, depending on how many animals are present and whether there are kits. Cleanup and repairs can often be done at the same time or shortly after.

Do I need to replace my attic insulation?

Not always. If droppings and urine are limited to a small area, spot cleanup and sanitizing may be enough. If raccoons have soiled large sections, removing and replacing the insulation is the safest option.

Can raccoons get back in after removal?

Raccoons are persistent and will test weak spots. That is why sealing every entry point and reinforcing vents, soffits and chimneys is part of the service, not an optional extra.