Vent, roof edge and attic sealing
Heavy mesh over gable and roof vents, metal at the roof edge and repairs to fascia and soffits. It protects attics and wall spaces from raccoons and similar climbers, and it is done from a ladder or the roof.
Serving San Francisco County
Wildlife Proofing in San Francisco: Sealing the Structure Only
Sealing gaps, vents and crawl-space openings against raccoons, skunks and similar animals. No trapping, removal or relocation.
- Call line answered 24/7
- Termite swarms after autumn rains
- Rats and mice in old buildings
Get a fast quote
Fastest: call (855) 974-4733. Or send this and we call you back.
Wildlife Proofing
Wildlife Proofing (Sealing Only): what it covers
Quick answer
Wildlife-proofing here means sealing the building: closing the vents, gaps, crawl-space openings and under-deck spaces that animals use. San Francisco Pest Control does not trap, remove or relocate wildlife, and a technician will not do so. Animals are governed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the sealing is done after the animal is gone.
Please read this first, because it is the most important thing on the page. This service is about closing up a structure. It is not a wildlife trapping, removal or relocation service, and nobody sent through San Francisco Pest Control will set a trap for a raccoon, a skunk, a squirrel or any other animal. If an animal is living in your attic, under your porch or in your crawl space right now, the first job is to find out who is allowed to deal with it, and the section further down explains how.
What sealing does offer is the part that lasts: working out how the animal got in, and closing that route once the space is empty. That is the same kind of work as rodent exclusion, applied to larger openings and different materials. San Francisco Pest Control answers its phones 24/7 and connects you with an independent local company, and a visit can be booked the same day only when a technician is free.
- Service area
- San Francisco & San Francisco County
- Availability
- Phones answered 24/7
- Phone
- (855) 974-4733
Warning signs
Signs you need wildlife proofing (sealing only)
Do not try to catch, corner or chase a raccoon, skunk, coyote or any other wild animal, and do not seal an opening while you think an animal may be inside. Keep children and pets away from the area, and contact a doctor right away if you are bitten or scratched.
- Scratching, thumping or heavy footsteps in an attic or ceiling at night
- A pried-up vent cover, a bent screen or a gap in the fascia, soffit or roof edge
- A musky smell under a porch, deck or in a crawl space, or a smell from a floor vent
- A hole dug along the foundation, beneath a deck or at a crawl-space door
- Droppings or tracks on a porch, a flat roof or a patio near a gap
- Torn insulation, flattened nesting material or a displaced access hatch
- Trash cans knocked over repeatedly, with the lids open or pushed aside
- Noises or smells at the same spot after a gap in the building has already been patched
Our process
How our wildlife proofing (sealing only) visit works
Find out whether an animal is inside
Before anything is sealed, the first question is whether any animal is still in the space. Closing a hole with a living animal behind it can trap it and cause harm, and young animals left alone are a separate problem. If you think one is present, stop and call the right agency before any sealing.
Inspect the building
The technician walks the roofline, vents, soffits, foundation, crawl-space doors, decks and porch skirting, and looks at how an animal got in. Marks, rubbed fur, dug soil and bent metal show the entry point.
Plan the closures
Each opening gets the material that suits it: heavy wire mesh on vents and chimneys, metal flashing on roof edges, hardware cloth on crawl-space openings. Foam and ordinary caulk are not strong enough for animals that tear and dig.
Seal once the space is empty
Sealing starts only when you have confirmed that the animal has left or has been dealt with by an authorized person. The technician closes the openings, sets screening and, if needed, a buried skirt of mesh so animals cannot dig back in.
Check and advise
A follow-up look makes sure nothing has been pried open. You are advised on trash, pet food, fallen fruit and anything else that draws animals to the property.
Cost
How much does wildlife proofing (sealing only) cost in San Francisco?
No San Francisco price for wildlife-proofing was sourced, so none is printed. What moves a quote is the following.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Number and size of openings | Scales with the building | A few vents are quicker than a whole roofline or a long deck skirt |
| Height and roof access | Added scope | Two- and three-story buildings, steep roofs and tight access add time and equipment |
| Materials | Priced by material | Heavy mesh, metal flashing and buried skirts cost more than a simple screen |
| Carpentry repairs | Separate trade | Rotted fascia or damaged soffits may need repair before they can be sealed |
| Follow-up inspection | Recommended | A later look confirms nothing has been pushed open |
These are cost drivers, not prices. The technician confirms your exact price on site before any work starts. Nothing in this table covers trapping or removal, because this site does not offer either.
Do you trap, remove or relocate raccoons, skunks and other wildlife?
No. This site does not trap, remove or relocate wildlife, and a technician sent through San Francisco Pest Control will not do so. Wildlife-proofing here means sealing the building only. Animal removal is governed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, not by a pest-control licence.
That division is deliberate. Wildlife in California is regulated separately from structural pests such as rats, ants and termites. The pest-control licence covers structural pest work, and it does not cover handling wild animals.
If you phone San Francisco Pest Control about an animal in the attic, the answer will be the same as on this page: we can help with the sealing afterward, and we will point you elsewhere for the animal.
Who handles the animal, then?
Start with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which regulates nuisance wildlife. It does not allow relocating nuisance raccoons and skunks, and it issues depredation permits only to owners who have damage and have already tried exclusion. San Mateo County's vector district cannot trap or exclude wildlife on private property.
The sealing described on this page is the kind of exclusion that the permit route expects you to have tried first, so working out and closing the entry point is not a detour. Which city office takes wildlife calls inside San Francisco was not confirmed, so none is named. The guide on who to call about raccoons, coyotes and skunks lays out what was found.
In San Mateo County, the mosquito and vector control district serves the whole county, including Daly City, Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Pacifica, Millbrae and Burlingame, but its technicians cannot trap or exclude wildlife on private property. That is a limit of the public service, and it is no reason to expect a pest-control company to fill it.
What does sealing actually involve?
A technician looks for the way in and closes it with materials an animal cannot easily tear or dig through: heavy mesh, metal flashing and buried barriers. The work is done after the space is empty. It is aimed at keeping animals out, not at removing the ones inside.
Common targets are roof vents, chimneys without caps, gaps along the roof edge, cracked or missing foundation vents, loose crawl-space doors and the open space under decks and porches. Each has its own fix, and none depends on sprays or traps.
Rats and mice are a different matter. They are structural pests, and closing small gaps against them is covered on the rodent exclusion page. This page is for the larger openings that raccoons, skunks and similar animals use.
- Heavy mesh over attic and gable vents
- Metal flashing along the roof edge and at eave gaps
- Hardware cloth over foundation vents and crawl-space openings
- Buried or bent-out wire skirting around decks, porches and sheds
- Chimney caps and screened openings where they are missing
Why not seal the hole right away?
Because an animal may still be inside. Closing the only exit can trap it in the space, where it can die or cause more damage trying to get out, and young animals can be left behind. The space has to be confirmed empty before it is sealed.
How to confirm that a space is empty depends on the animal and the time of year, and that is a question for the agency or permit holder who is dealing with the animal, not for a sealing technician. Do not guess.
Once you are confident the space is empty, you can book the sealing visit, and it can happen the same day only when a technician is free.
Options
Types and options for wildlife proofing (sealing only)
Crawl-space and foundation sealing
Mesh or metal over foundation vents, repaired crawl-space doors and a dug-in barrier along the base. It is aimed at skunks and other ground-level animals that dig.
Deck, porch and shed skirting
Wire skirting that is buried or bent outward at the base of decks, porches and sheds, closing the shelter beneath them. It matters in yards where animals shelter from wind and fog.
San Francisco County
Why wildlife proofing (sealing only) is different in San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco has real wildlife living inside the city: the National Park Service lists squirrels, skunks, raccoons and coyotes among the mammals of the Presidio, and local press has described raccoons on a Golden Gate Park trail near North Lake. A 2014 Recreation and Parks estimate counted about 100 coyotes, mostly in the Presidio and Golden Gate Park. Those animals share the city with houses, and gaps in the buildings nearest to green space matter most.
The city's older housing also has many of the weak points that animals use: vented crawl spaces, deep eaves and cornices, open porch skirts, old chimneys and wood fascia that has softened in the damp. The Park Service advice for anyone who meets a wild animal is to keep a distance and not to feed it, and the same applies at home: secure the trash and remove pet food, so that the sealing is not the only thing keeping animals away.
Still stuck? We pick up 24/7.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent wildlife proofing (sealing only), send the form and we'll call you back.
Where we work
Wildlife Proofing (Sealing Only) across San Francisco County
- Wildlife Proofing in San Francisco
- Wildlife Proofing in Daly City
- Wildlife Proofing in Brisbane
- Wildlife Proofing in Sausalito
- Wildlife Proofing in Belvedere and Tiburon
- Wildlife Proofing in South San Francisco
- Wildlife Proofing in Emeryville
- Wildlife Proofing in Alameda
- Wildlife Proofing in Oakland
- Wildlife Proofing in San Bruno
- Wildlife Proofing in Albany
- Wildlife Proofing in Berkeley
- Wildlife Proofing in Piedmont
- Wildlife Proofing in Mill Valley
- Wildlife Proofing in Pacifica
- Wildlife Proofing in Corte Madera
- Wildlife Proofing in El Cerrito
- Wildlife Proofing in Richmond
- Wildlife Proofing in San Pablo
- Wildlife Proofing in Millbrae
- Wildlife Proofing in Burlingame
- Wildlife Proofing in Larkspur
- Wildlife Proofing in Greenbrae
- Wildlife Proofing in Kentfield
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Related
Related services
Rodent Exclusion and Sealing
Sealing the gaps rats and mice use to enter San Francisco buildings, so control work holds after the traps come out.
Attic and Crawl Space Rodent Work
Cleanup and repair in attics and crawl spaces after rats or mice: droppings, nesting, insulation and the routes in.
Flea Control
Indoor and yard flea treatment for San Francisco homes, with pet care left to your veterinarian.
Guides
Read before you book
Raccoons, Coyotes and Skunks: Who to Call
In California, wildlife such as raccoons, skunks and coyotes falls under the Department of Fish and Wildlife, not the structural pest control licence.
Which District Handles Rats and Mosquitoes Where You Live?
It depends on the county and sometimes the city.
FAQ
Wildlife Proofing (Sealing Only) FAQs
Will you come and take the raccoon out of my attic?
No. This site does not trap, remove or relocate wildlife. Animals are regulated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Once the animal has left or has been dealt with by someone authorized to do so, a technician can seal the way in.
Can raccoons or skunks be relocated?
Not legally. The Department of Fish and Wildlife does not allow relocating nuisance raccoons and skunks, and it issues depredation permits only to owners with damage who have already tried exclusion.
Isn't this the same as rodent exclusion?
Similar in method, different in scale. Rodent exclusion closes small gaps against rats and mice, which are structural pests. Wildlife-proofing closes larger openings with heavier materials against animals such as raccoons and skunks.
Do I need to wait before sealing?
Yes, until you are confident that nothing is inside. Sealing with an animal in the space is the single most common way to make a wildlife problem worse.
Does the mosquito and vector district handle wildlife?
In San Mateo County, no: its technicians cannot trap or exclude wildlife on private property. For other places, this site has not sourced who handles it, so it makes no claim.
Is there a price for this work?
The price depends on the number of openings, the height and the materials, and the technician confirms it on site before work starts. The drivers are listed in the cost table above.