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How to Get Rid of Raccoons Under a Deck

Raccoons den under decks in spring to have kits. How to check before you block anything, evict them humanely, and skirt the deck so nothing returns.

By Zakaria 4 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
Two young raccoons foraging on bare ground at the base of a mossy tree
Photo: David Kanigan, Pexels License, via Pexels
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Same rule as every other animal under a deck, and it matters more here: check for kits before you block anything. A sealed-in litter is a dead litter, and a mother raccoon will take the soffits apart trying to reach it.

Confirm it is a raccoon

Reading the signs
SignAnimal
Hand-like prints, five long fingersRaccoon
Bins tipped and opened, lids removedRaccoon
Large opening, 4–6 in or moreRaccoon
A latrine — droppings repeatedly in one spotRaccoon
Faint musk, 3–4 in holeSkunk
Clean scrape, pellet droppingsRabbit
Cone-shaped lawn divotsSkunk grubbing

Chittering, purring and growling from under the deck at night, especially in spring, is a mother with kits. It is a distinctive sound and once you have heard it you will not mistake it.

Check for kits first

March to August, assume there are young

Kits are born in spring and stay in the den for eight to ten weeks.

Seal an entrance in that window and they die under your deck. The mother then tears at soffits, siding and lattice trying to get back to them, which is how a wildlife problem becomes a building repair.

The newspaper test, before anything else:

  1. Stuff every opening loosely with crumpled newspaper in the evening
  2. Pushed out by morning — something is still living there
  3. Undisturbed for two or three consecutive nights — the space is empty

Evicting them

Raccoons want dark, quiet and undisturbed. Remove all three, and leave the exit clear:

  • Bright work light in the space, left on overnight
  • A radio nearby on talk radio — human voices work better than music
  • Ammonia-soaked rags in an open container near the entrance
  • Clear the clutter from underneath
  • Several nights. They are stubborn and do not leave on the first evening

A mother with kits will move them herself

Given a few nights of light and noise, a female usually relocates the litter to one of her other dens — they keep several — carrying them one at a time.

That is by far the best outcome available, and it is why patience beats a trap here.

The permanent fix

Skirting specification
RightWrong
Material½ in galvanised hardware clothLattice, chicken wire
DepthBuried 12 inSat on the surface
BottomBent outward 12 in in an LStraight down
FixingScrewed to the deck framingStapled to lattice
CoverageWhole perimeterThe visible hole only

Raccoons are strong and genuinely dexterous. They pull staples, lift unsecured panels and work at a weak edge until it gives. This is the animal that most often defeats a skirt that would have held a rabbit, so the fixings matter as much as the mesh.

Leave one opening with a one-way door if there is any doubt, and close it after a week of no activity.

Removing the reason

  • Secure the bins. A lid resting in place is not secured — use a strap or a locking lid. This is the single biggest draw
  • No pet food outside, and no bowls on a porch overnight
  • Clear fallen fruit under trees
  • Sweep up spilled birdseed, or stop feeding over summer
  • Close the compost, or switch to an enclosed bin
  • Remove accessible water
  • Proof the shed, porch and crawl space at the same time, or you have just moved them

Health, stated plainly

  • Rabies. Raccoons are a primary reservoir across much of North America. Report rather than approach any raccoon that is out in daylight repeatedly, moving unsteadily, unafraid or drooling. Any bite or scratch needs immediate medical advice
  • Roundworm. Raccoon droppings can carry Baylisascaris, whose eggs are hazardous to people and survive a long time in soil. A latrine under a deck is not a brush-and-hose job — gloves, an N95 mask, bag the material, and consider a professional for a large accumulation
  • Keep pets vaccinated, and keep dogs away from the deck while a raccoon is denning there

Do not trap and relocate

Illegal without a permit in many states, and a poor outcome everywhere:

  • Spreads rabies, distemper and roundworm into new areas
  • A relocated raccoon in unfamiliar territory usually dies
  • Separates mothers from kits you did not know were there
  • Does nothing about the space, so the next raccoon moves in

Eviction plus exclusion resolves it permanently, and a licensed operator is worth the money for anything involving kits already in a wall.

Common questions

How do I get raccoons out from under my deck?

Make the space unpleasant rather than trying to remove the animal, then close it permanently once it is empty. A bright work light in the space, a radio playing talk radio nearby and rags soaked in ammonia near the entrance take away the dark, quiet, undisturbed conditions a raccoon chose the spot for. Give it several nights, confirm the space is empty with the newspaper test, then skirt the deck with buried hardware cloth. Trapping is a poor option and is illegal to follow with relocation in many states.

How do I know if there are baby raccoons under there?

Assume there are between March and August, and check before blocking anything. Kits are born in spring and stay in the den for eight to ten weeks, so an entrance sealed in that window traps them to die where you cannot reach them, while the mother tears at soffits, siding and lattice trying to get back in. Stuff every opening loosely with newspaper in the evening and check each morning for two or three consecutive nights — undisturbed packing means the space is genuinely empty.

What keeps raccoons from coming back under a deck?

Half-inch galvanised hardware cloth around the whole perimeter, buried at least twelve inches deep with the bottom twelve inches bent outward in an L away from the deck. Raccoons dig and are unusually strong and dexterous, so the mesh has to be screwed to the deck framing rather than stapled to lattice, and lattice alone stops nothing. Then remove what drew them: unsecured bins, pet food, fallen fruit, spilled birdseed and accessible water.

Are raccoons under a deck dangerous?

They are not aggressive unless cornered or defending kits, but two things warrant real care. Raccoons are a primary rabies reservoir in much of North America, so any animal that is active in daylight, moving unsteadily, unafraid or behaving oddly should be reported to animal control rather than approached. Their droppings can also carry raccoon roundworm, whose eggs are hazardous to people, which is why a latrine site under a deck needs careful cleanup with gloves and a mask rather than a brush and a hose.

Should I trap and relocate a raccoon?

No. Relocation is illegal without a permit in many states because it spreads rabies, distemper and roundworm into new areas, and a raccoon dropped into unfamiliar territory usually dies. Trapping also separates a mother from kits you did not know were there, which leaves them to starve under your deck. Eviction followed by exclusion solves the problem permanently and costs less than a trap and a licence.

What actually attracts raccoons to a yard?

Food and easy shelter, in that order. Unsecured bins are the single biggest draw, followed by pet food left outside, fallen fruit, spilled birdseed, open compost and accessible water. Raccoons are intelligent and have genuinely dexterous hands, so a bin lid that merely rests in place is not secured — it needs a strap or a locking lid. Remove the food and the shelter becomes far less interesting, which is what makes the exclusion hold.

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