Raccoons, Coyotes and Skunks: Who to Call

Why does a pest company not simply remove a raccoon?

Because raccoons, skunks and coyotes are wildlife, and wildlife is regulated by CDFW rather than by the structural pest licence. A pest company holding that licence works on insects, rodents and wood-destroying organisms. Handling free-living mammals is a different legal area, with its own rules about what may be done to the animal.

People are often surprised by this, because a raccoon in an attic feels like a pest problem. It is a reasonable assumption. But in California the lines are drawn by law, not by common sense. The Structural Pest Control Board licenses work in three branches: Fumigation, General Pest and Termite. General Pest covers ants, cockroaches, mice and rats. Termite covers termites, wood-boring beetles, dry rot and fungus. None of those branches is a licence to handle raccoons, skunks or coyotes.

Those animals belong to a separate system. CDFW is the state agency that governs them, and the rules about what may be done to a live animal are its rules. As we understand them, CDFW does not allow nuisance raccoons and skunks to be relocated, and it issues depredation permits only to property owners who have damage and who have already tried exclusion. We are summarising, not interpreting, and if you want the exact wording the agency's own site is the place to read it.

So the plain answer to the title question is that it is not that a pest company will not, but that a pest company is not the right door for the animal itself. San Francisco Pest Control follows that line. We do not trap, remove or relocate wildlife. We pass calls to independent local companies, and the work you can expect from a technician in this area is about the building, not the animal.

That may sound limiting. In practice it is the clearest way to think about the problem: the animal is a matter for the wildlife rules, and the opening it used is a matter for a carpenter, a roofer or a sealing crew.

Who does what when a wild animal is in or around your home?

CDFW sets the rules for the animal. Animal control or a city agency may take calls about an injured or aggressive animal, though we could not confirm which one in San Francisco. A doctor handles a bite. A pest or building contractor can seal the structure. A vector district handles insects and rodents, not wildlife.

A lot of frustration with wildlife calls comes from not knowing which of several agencies is the right one. The table below sorts the roles. It is a general map, not a directory. We have left out phone numbers on purpose because numbers change, and a stale number is worse than no number.

Notice the row about the city. We were not able to confirm which agency inside San Francisco takes wildlife calls, and we do not want to name one on a guess. The practical way to find out is to search the city's website for your own address and the words animal control or wildlife. The same goes for any other town on the peninsula or around the bay.

What is exclusion, and why is it the first step?

Exclusion means closing the openings an animal uses to get into a building, so it cannot return. It is the first step because relocating raccoons and skunks is not allowed, and because permits are given only after exclusion has been tried. Done correctly, it deals with the cause rather than the animal.

Think of exclusion as the opposite of chasing. Instead of trying to catch an animal that will simply be replaced by another, you change the building so there is no reason to stay. Raccoons are strong and curious, and they will pull at loose fascia, push past damaged vents and enlarge a gap at a roofline. Skunks dig under porches, sheds and decks, and they like the sheltered space under a raised floor. Squirrels and rats, which are not the subject of this guide but share some routes, climb along branches and wires to reach the roof edge.

Because of that, the questions to ask are about the structure. Where did it get in? What is it nesting in? Which openings are still open? A sealing job begins with a careful look at the roof edge, vents, the gap where a roof meets a wall, the crawl-space door and any area where a pipe or wire enters the house. Many of those answers come from looking for stains, droppings, scratches, chewed edges or torn insulation, not from seeing the animal.

One caution is the timing. If an animal is inside, or if young may be present, sealing the only exit can trap it. That is why the first conversation should be with the agency or professional who deals with the animal. Our role in the sequence comes after the animal is gone, or when no animal is present and the aim is prevention.

What does a sealing job actually cover?

A sealing job covers the building: closing gaps at the roofline, screening vents, repairing or covering damaged soffit and fascia, blocking openings under porches and decks, and securing crawl-space access. It does not include trapping or removing animals. Damaged insulation and droppings in the attic may need separate cleanup.

Wildlife-proofing, as we use the term, is a building service. A technician looks at the exterior and, where accessible, the attic and subarea, and notes every opening that is large enough for an animal to push through or widen. Typical places include roof edges where trim has pulled away, gable and foundation vents with weak or missing screens, the gap behind a downspout, a chimney without a cap, a damaged eave and the spaces under steps and decks.

The materials are chosen to resist chewing and prying. Heavy wire mesh, sheet metal, metal flashing and fasteners that hold are the sort of things used, rather than foam or thin screening. Where the damage is structural, such as a rotted section of fascia, the right fix may be a carpenter's repair first and a sealing job second. Our page on wildlife-proofing describes the work in general terms, and rodent exclusion covers the closely related job for rats and mice.

Cleanup is a separate question. If an animal lived in an attic, insulation may be soiled or matted and droppings may be present. Removing and replacing that material is a distinct job, and we cover it under attic and crawl space cleanup. We keep that page about rodents, and we do not offer health advice about wildlife waste here.

Ask any company, before work begins, what it plans to seal, with what, and what it will do if an animal turns out to be inside. A clear answer to the last question is a good sign. A company that says it will trap or relocate a raccoon is describing something that, as far as we understand the rules, is not permitted for nuisance raccoons and skunks.

What about coyotes, and wildlife around the Presidio and Golden Gate Park?

Coyotes, raccoons and skunks live in and around San Francisco's large parks, including the Presidio and Golden Gate Park. They are wild animals, and the sensible approach is distance and a tidy yard. Coyotes are not something a pest company deals with, and exclusion applies to buildings, not to animals passing through.

Park Service material for the Presidio lists squirrels, skunks, raccoons and coyotes among the mammals found there, and the roof rat is on the same list. City reports have also described coyotes in Golden Gate Park. We will not attach numbers to this because the counts we saw were old estimates, and we would rather not suggest precision that does not exist. The point is that the animals are present, and a house at the edge of a park will see more of them than one in the middle of a block.

The guidance from the Park Service is simple and worth repeating: keep your distance and do not feed them. Feeding is what turns a passing animal into a regular visitor. That includes pet food left on a porch, a bird feeder that spills onto the ground and uncovered compost. A coyote is not an indoor problem. It is an outdoor animal, and a fence, a closed gate and pets kept inside at night are about as far as a homeowner can reasonably go.

Residents near a park edge often ask whether sealing their house will keep coyotes away. It will not, and it is not meant to. Sealing is for raccoons in attics, skunks under decks, and the rats and mice that share some of the same openings. For rats, see roof rat control.

How do you reduce what attracts wildlife without hurting anyone?

Remove food and shelter. Keep garbage in closed containers, pick up fallen fruit, feed pets indoors, cover compost, and clear the space under decks and sheds. These steps do not harm any animal, and they make a property less interesting to raccoons, skunks and coyotes alike. They also make exclusion work easier.

The same short list shows up in advice from many sources because it works. Garbage is the biggest attractant in a city, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health makes the same point about rats: closed lids and tidy storage matter. Raccoons are better than most animals at opening things, so a lid that merely rests on a bin may not stop them. A latch or a strap, or a bin kept inside a garage until collection day, tends to help.

Think about shelter too. Skunks and raccoons will use the dry space under a shed, a deck or a pile of lumber. Brush against a fence and thick ground cover near the house give cover for animals that would otherwise stay away. Trimming branches that overhang the roof removes a bridge to the roofline. None of this is dramatic, and none of it requires equipment beyond what most households own.

A home with an old hole in the siding will not benefit from tidy bins alone. If you have already seen signs that an animal has been inside, tidy habits help, but the opening needs to be sealed. That is the building work described above.

If you are not sure what you are looking at, a technician can talk through what the signs suggest and which part of the job belongs to which agency. (855) 974-4733 reaches the line at any hour, and a technician can come the same day when one is free.

• Close and latch garbage and compost; bring bins in after collection.
• Feed pets indoors and pick up fallen fruit.
• Trim branches that touch or hang over the roof.
• Close off the space under decks, sheds and porches with sturdy material.
• Do not feed wildlife, including indirectly.