Wildlife
Raccoon and Opossum Removal in Florida
If what is in your attic is heavy enough to wake you up, it is probably not a rat. Raccoons and opossums are wildlife rather than pests, and they sit under a different set of rules with a different set of risks.
What You Have
How to Tell a Raccoon From Everything Else
The single most useful diagnostic is weight and rhythm. A roof rat is light, fast and repetitive, running the same route between dusk and around two in the morning. A raccoon is unmistakably heavy, moves slowly and deliberately, and you will often hear individual footfalls rather than scurrying. Opossums are somewhere between: heavier than a rat, slower, and frequently accompanied by dragging sounds.
Raccoons also vocalise. Chittering, growling and, if there are young, a distinctive chirping or crying that people often mistake for birds. If you are hearing anything that sounds like a voice rather than movement, that is not a rodent.
Entry points differ too. Raccoons are strong enough to make their own opening. They tear soffit, pull back fascia, lever up roof vents and open gable louvres, so the entry is usually damage rather than an existing gap. That is a genuinely different repair from rodent exclusion, because the structure has to be rebuilt rather than just sealed.
The reason this matters is that raccoon and opossum work falls under FWC nuisance wildlife rules rather than under pest control alone, and the handling requirements are specific.
Raccoons are also a rabies vector species in Florida, which is the reason relocation is not treated casually.
Hearing something heavy overhead? Get it identified before anyone sets a trap.
The Rules
What Florida Law Actually Allows
- Live traps or snares may be used to take nuisance wildlife under Florida Administrative Code 68A-9.010.
- All traps must be inspected at least once every 24 hours. That is a legal requirement, not a courtesy.
- Native nuisance wildlife may be released on the landowner’s property where captured, only if the release site and capture site are on one contiguous piece of property.
- Nonnative wildlife may not be transported or relocated except for the purpose of euthanasia.
- A permit from an FWC regional office is required to use steel traps to take destructive mammals.
- Raccoons are a rabies vector species in Florida, which is a further reason relocation across the county is not among the options available.
So the familiar promise, that a company will humanely relocate your raccoon to the woods somewhere, is not something Florida law provides for. Anyone offering it is describing something the state does not permit, and you should take that as information about how they operate generally.
Young in the attic changes everything
Raccoons and opossums have young in attics, and Florida is warm enough that this happens across a long window. Excluding while dependent young are present separates them from the mother, and they die inside your structure, which is both inhumane and a serious decontamination and odour problem. A competent operator checks for young before sealing anything and times the work accordingly, which sometimes means waiting. Raccoon roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis, is also a genuine reason not to disturb a latrine site without proper protection.
The Process
How the Work Is Done
- Identification. Species confirmed and whether young are present. This decides the entire plan.
- Entry survey. Usually looking for torn soffit, lifted vents or opened gable louvres rather than existing gaps.
- Removal to FWC rules. One way doors where appropriate, live trapping where required, traps checked at least every 24 hours.
- Confirmation no young remain. Before anything is closed.
- Structural repair and exclusion. Rebuilt rather than patched, in heavier material, because raccoons will reopen anything light.
- Attic decontamination. Latrine sites, contaminated insulation and chewed wiring assessed and dealt with.
Raccoon exclusion needs heavier material than rodent work by a wide margin. Anything that would hold a roof rat indefinitely will be pulled apart by a raccoon in a night.
Get the species and the young confirmed before anything gets sealed.
Cost
What Raccoon and Opossum Work Costs
These are published national and Florida ranges. Wildlife work sits above rodent work because the structural repair is usually larger and the decontamination more involved.
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Inspection and identification | $75 to $150 |
| Removal and exclusion | $350 to $750 and upward |
| Structural repair of torn soffit or vents | Quoted on damage |
| Attic cleanup and insulation replacement | $1,000 to $3,000 |
| Post removal electrical inspection | $100 to $200 |
The repair is frequently the largest line rather than the removal, because raccoons make their own opening. Get it itemised so you can see removal, repair and decontamination separately.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it a raccoon or a rat in my attic?
Weight and rhythm. Roof rats are light, fast and repetitive. Raccoons are unmistakably heavy, slow and deliberate, and you often hear individual footfalls. Raccoons also vocalise, and chirping or crying sounds usually mean young are present.
Can you relocate the raccoon to the woods?
No, and neither can anyone else legally. Under Florida Administrative Code 68A-9.010, native nuisance wildlife may be released on the property where captured only if the release site and capture site are on one contiguous piece of property. Raccoons are also a rabies vector species in Florida, which is a further reason.
What if there are babies?
Sealing while dependent young are present separates them from the mother and leaves them to die inside your structure, which is inhumane and creates a serious decontamination problem. Young are checked for before anything is closed, and that occasionally means timing the work rather than proceeding immediately.
Is raccoon waste dangerous?
Raccoon latrine sites can carry Baylisascaris procyonis, raccoon roundworm, which is a genuine reason not to disturb one without proper protective equipment. Decontamination is a job for somebody in full protection, not something to sweep out.
Why does the repair cost more than the removal?
Because raccoons make their own opening rather than using an existing gap. Torn soffit, lifted roof vents and opened gable louvres have to be rebuilt in heavier material, not just sealed, and that is usually the largest line on the invoice.
Are the operators you refer licensed?
Yes. Florida regulates pest control under Chapter 482, Florida Statutes, administered by FDACS, and rodent work falls under General Household Pest and Rodent Control. Wildlife species are additionally regulated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Your assigned operator provides their licence number on your written estimate and you can verify it through the FDACS licensee search at fdacs.gov.
Do you use poison?
Not as a default. A poisoned animal does not go outside to die, it dies inside your wall, which turns one job into an odour job. And rodenticide creates secondary poisoning risk for Florida owls, hawks and other raptors, as well as for pets.
Related services: Squirrel Removal, Bat Exclusion, Attic Restoration, Soffit and Eave Sealing.
Coverage
Raccoon and Opossum Removal Across Nine Florida Regions
Raccoon and Opossum Removal is available through the FDACS-licensed operators we refer across 178 Florida communities. The conditions differ by region, so pick yours below and the page will tell you what actually drives rodent problems there and every community we cover inside it.
Not sure which region you are in? Call with your ZIP and we will confirm coverage before anything is scheduled, or see the full Florida service area map.
Read Next
Guides Worth Reading Before You Book
Background reading that will help you judge a quote, understand what the work involves, and know what to expect before anyone comes out.
Something heavy in the attic? Get it identified today.