Raccoon Removal for Chicagoland Attics, Chimneys and Garage Roofs

Meet the city raccoon: heavier, bolder and on a tighter range

The common raccoon, Procyon lotor, is the largest mammal most Chicago-area homeowners will ever find living in their house. Adults usually weigh somewhere between 12 and 25 pounds, with a black mask, a ringed tail and hand-like front paws that can open latches, pry up shingles and peel back aluminum soffit. They are mostly nocturnal, but mothers with young and animals disturbed in a den are often seen in daylight, which on its own does not mean an animal is sick.

Urban raccoons live at much higher densities than raccoons in farm country, because food is concentrated: garbage carts in every alley, pet food on back porches, bird feeders, fallen fruit, grubs in lawns and fish and crayfish along the rivers. Studies of raccoons in the Chicago region have found that city and suburban animals tend to keep smaller home ranges than rural ones, often moving between a handful of reliable dens such as a garage roof, a storm sewer, a hollow parkway tree and an attic. Once a house becomes one of those dens, it tends to be revisited every year until the entry is sealed.

Signs a raccoon is living in the house, not just passing through

The clearest sign is sound. Raccoons are heavy, so their movement in an attic sounds like thumping and walking rather than the light scurry of squirrels or mice, and it peaks after dusk and before dawn. In spring, a chorus of chirping, purring or squealing from a wall or chimney usually means a litter of kits. Outside, look for a torn corner of the roof where the soffit meets the fascia, displaced shingles near a valley, a bent or missing roof vent cap, or a hole chewed through the screen of a gable vent.

Other signs include muddy handprints on downspouts and siding, garbage carts tipped over in the alley, latrines of dog-sized droppings on flat roofs, garage roofs, decks and woodpiles, and torn-up sod where raccoons have rolled back turf looking for grubs. A strong musky smell from a fireplace, or debris falling into the firebox, points to a chimney den. Under decks and porches, look for a smooth, packed opening in the soil along one side.

• Heavy footsteps overhead between dusk and dawn
• Chirping or chattering from a chimney or wall in April through June
• Torn soffit, lifted shingles or crushed roof vents
• Latrines of large droppings on garage roofs or decks
• Rolled-back sod in sections, usually in late summer and fall

Why the city and suburbs have so many

Chicago's layout is close to ideal for raccoons. Nearly every residential block has an alley lined with detached garages, many with flat or low-slope roofs, and those garage roofs act as stepping stones to the back of the house. Mature parkway elms, maples and oaks overhang rooflines in older neighborhoods. The North Branch of the Chicago River, the North Shore Channel, the Des Plaines River, Salt Creek and the Calumet River all function as travel corridors lined with trees and storm outfalls.

Outward from the city, the Forest Preserves of Cook County and the DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane and McHenry county preserve and conservation districts provide hundreds of square miles of woods and wetlands next to residential neighborhoods. Raccoons forage in those preserves at night and den in houses at their edges. Older housing offers more ways in: decaying wood soffits on bungalows and frame homes, unlined or uncapped masonry chimneys on two-flats, and attic louvers that were never screened. Newer homes are not immune, because roof-to-wall junctions where a garage roof meets a second-story wall are a favorite pry point.

Food supply seals the deal. Chicago's black garbage carts are sturdy, but lids left open or overfilled carts give raccoons an easy nightly meal, and alley compost bins, grease left on grills and backyard chicken coops add more. Raccoons learn routes and schedules, so a block where carts are routinely left open on collection eve can support several animals that den within a few houses of one another. Suburban cul-de-sacs with pet doors, open garages and koi ponds create the same pattern on a larger lot.

Roundworm, leptospirosis and why the attic cleanup matters

The biggest health concern with raccoons is not the animal itself but what it leaves behind. Raccoons are the main host of the roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis, and the eggs pass in their droppings. Raccoons use communal latrines, so an attic, garage roof or deck can accumulate large numbers of eggs. The eggs become infectious after a few weeks in the environment and can survive for years. Human infection is rare but can be very serious, especially for young children who put hands or soil in their mouths, which is why latrines should be removed carefully rather than swept up dry.

Raccoons can also carry leptospirosis, which spreads through urine, and they host fleas and ticks. Rabies is always a consideration with any wild mammal, though in Illinois bats are the animal most often found to carry it. Many sick-looking raccoons in Chicagoland are actually suffering from canine distemper, which causes stumbling, discharge from the eyes and odd daytime behavior. Distemper does not infect people but can spread to unvaccinated dogs. Any raccoon acting abnormally should be reported to local animal control rather than approached.

Structural damage adds up quickly. Raccoons tear open roofs, flatten and soil insulation, chew wiring, rip flexible ductwork and leave urine stains that bleed through ceilings. Decontamination after removal typically means removing soiled insulation, treating the area with an appropriate cleaner and sometimes replacing insulation.

Kit season, from March to midsummer

Raccoons in northern Illinois generally mate from late winter into early spring, and most litters are born in April and May, though late litters appear into summer. A typical litter is several kits, born with eyes closed, and the mother keeps them in the den for about two months before they begin following her at night. That timeline drives how removal is planned. If a female is simply trapped and taken away in May, her kits are left to starve in the attic or chimney, which creates a second, worse problem, both humane and sanitary.

Experienced wildlife specialists locate the litter first. Kits are removed by hand and placed in a warmed container near the entry point, and the mother is allowed to retrieve them and move them to another den, after which the opening is sealed. In other cases a one-way exclusion door is used once the young are mobile. Fall brings a second wave of calls, when young raccoons that left their mothers in late summer look for winter dens, and winter calls often involve a single animal holed up during cold snaps. Raccoons do not truly hibernate, but they can stay inactive for days in severe cold.

What a professional removal involves, step by step

Raccoon jobs are as much construction as animal handling. A good specialist spends most of the visit on the roof and in the attic, finding every opening, not only the one with the most damage. The process usually follows a predictable order, adjusted for the time of year and whether young are present.

Timing the final seal is the part homeowners most often want to rush. A specialist will usually leave the exclusion device in place for several nights, watch for new damage elsewhere on the roof, and only close the last opening once there is no sign of activity. In two-flats and attached houses, the inspection may also need to cover a shared roof or a neighbor's chimney, because raccoons do not respect property lines.

• Inspect the roofline, chimney, vents, soffits, garage roof and the area under decks and porches, and confirm whether a litter is present.
• Choose a method: a one-way exclusion door over the main entry, hand removal of kits for reunion with the mother, or live trapping where it is legal and appropriate.
• Monitor until the den is confirmed empty, often by checking a lightly sealed entry or using a camera.
• Make permanent repairs with heavy-gauge steel mesh, metal flashing and chimney caps rather than plywood or screen alone.
• Remove latrines and soiled insulation with protective equipment and sanitize the area.
• Recommend follow-up steps such as trimming branches, securing garbage carts and screening under decks.

Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin rules to know

Raccoons are a protected furbearer under the Illinois Wildlife Code, and removal for a fee is regulated through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources nuisance wildlife control permit program. Anyone you hire to trap or remove raccoons should hold the appropriate IDNR permit, and the rules also govern what can lawfully be done with an animal once it is caught. Releasing a trapped raccoon in a forest preserve or another neighborhood is generally not an option, both legally and because relocated raccoons often die or spread disease. Northwest Indiana falls under the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Kenosha area under the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, each with its own nuisance wildlife rules.

Safety rules matter as much as legal ones. Never corner a raccoon in a garage or try to grab kits. If a person or pet is bitten or scratched, wash the wound, seek medical advice and contact local animal control or the health department. Do not feed raccoons on purpose, and remember that leaving pet food outdoors at night amounts to the same thing.

Common DIY mistakes

Homeowners usually try one of three things first: a rented cage trap, a radio or light in the attic, or sealing the hole once the noise stops. Each can backfire. A cage trap baited with marshmallows on a garage roof frequently catches a neighbor's cat or a skunk, and a raccoon caught in spring may leave a litter behind. Lights and noise sometimes work briefly but raccoons habituate quickly, especially mothers with young. Sealing an entry while an animal is inside often leads to a new hole torn through the roof or ceiling within a night or two.

Mothballs and ammonia-soaked rags are also common and rarely effective in a ventilated attic, and mothballs are a regulated pesticide that is not labeled for this use. The safer approach is to confirm what is inside, wait for or arrange the right removal method for the season, and then seal everything at once.

Another frequent mistake is climbing onto a garage roof or ladder at night to look for the animal. Raccoons defending young will stand their ground, and a startled adult on a roof edge is a real fall hazard. Using spray foam or window screen to patch an entry is also a short-term fix at best, because raccoons tear through both easily once they want back in, and the next opening is often bigger.

Keeping raccoons off the roof for good

Prevention is mostly about removing the easy routes and the easy food. These steps work for city lots with alley garages and for suburban homes on preserve edges.

A quick walk around the house each March, before the main denning season, catches most problems early. Look up at every roof corner, vent and chimney, and look down at deck skirting and porch steps for fresh digging.

• Install a stainless or galvanized chimney cap on every flue, including unused ones.
• Replace crushed or plastic roof vents with metal vent guards or covers.
• Reinforce soffit returns, especially where a lower roof meets an upper wall.
• Trim branches back several feet from the roof and garage roof.
• Keep garbage carts closed, latched if possible, and inside the garage on windy nights.
• Bring pet food in at night and take bird feeders down if raccoons are raiding them.
• Screen under decks and porches with mesh buried in an L-shape below the soil line.
• Pick up fallen fruit and avoid putting meat or fish in backyard compost.

What affects the cost of raccoon work

No reputable provider quotes a firm price sight unseen, because the job depends on what the inspection finds. The main factors are the number of animals and whether a litter is present, how many entry points need repair, roof height and pitch, whether the den is in an attic, chimney, wall void or under a deck, the amount of contaminated insulation, and whether follow-up visits are needed to confirm the den is empty. Chimney work and two-story steep roofs take more time and equipment. Ask for a written scope that separates removal, repairs and cleanup so options are easy to compare.

Some homeowners also ask about warranties on exclusion work. Terms vary widely between providers and are not standard, so read what any written warranty actually covers, such as re-entry at repaired points versus new openings elsewhere on the roof. Homeowners insurance occasionally covers sudden damage caused by wildlife, but policies differ, so check with your insurer and keep photographs and the provider's inspection notes in case they are needed.