Is It Legal to Kill Raccoons in Pennsylvania? What the Law Actually Allows
May 27, 2026
Raccoons are one of the most common wildlife nuisances Pennsylvania homeowners and landowners deal with — raiding trash cans, nesting in attics, and causing property damage year-round. When the problem gets serious enough, the question almost always comes up: can you just kill one?
The short answer is yes, but only under specific legal conditions. Pennsylvania classifies raccoons as furbearers, which means they fall under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), and killing one outside of those conditions can result in real legal consequences. This guide walks you through exactly what the law permits, what it prohibits, and the safest path forward when raccoons become a problem on your property.
Are Raccoons Protected in Pennsylvania?
Raccoons in Pennsylvania are not endangered or threatened, but they are legally classified as furbearers and game animals — which means they do carry a degree of legal protection. You cannot simply kill one at will without meeting certain requirements set by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
That said, raccoons occupy a somewhat unique position under Pennsylvania law compared to other wildlife. Under Section 2125 of the Game and Wildlife Code, the entire carcass of any game or wildlife — other than raccoons — must be made available to a commission officer upon request. This carve-out signals that raccoons are treated with a bit more flexibility than other species when it comes to property protection situations.
Raccoons are also significant from a public health standpoint. Because raccoons are a rabies vector species — along with skunks, bats, groundhogs, foxes, and coyotes — they should not be relocated like other wildlife. This disease risk shapes many of the rules that apply specifically to raccoons, particularly around trapping and relocation. To learn more about raccoon behavior and biology, see this overview of raccoons and the different types of raccoons found across North America.
Key Insight: Raccoons are game animals in Pennsylvania, not pests with zero protection. Killing one without meeting legal requirements can expose you to fines and penalties under the Game and Wildlife Code.
When Can You Legally Kill a Raccoon in Pennsylvania?
There are two primary scenarios in which killing a raccoon in Pennsylvania is legal: during the regulated hunting season with the proper license, and when a raccoon is actively damaging your personal property.
During Hunting Season
Pennsylvania holds a regulated raccoon hunting season each year. For the 2025–26 license year, the raccoon hunting season runs October 25 through November 15, with select Sundays (November 16, 23, and 30) included, continuing through December 1 and into February 2026. The trapping season for raccoon runs September 1 through March 31, 2026. You must hold a valid hunting or furtaker’s license to participate.
Property Damage Situations
With the exception of deer, bear, elk, beaver, bobcat, fisher, wild turkey, migratory birds, threatened species, and endangered species, landowners may take action when personal property — other than an agricultural crop — is being destroyed, or when a sick or diseased animal poses a threat to humans, farm animals, or pets.
Only the property owner or person in charge of the property may take steps to capture or kill wildlife in these situations. If you are a renter or acting on someone else’s behalf without authorization, you are not legally covered.
Farmers Have Additional Rights
Farmers may protect from wildlife damage their farm crops, fruit trees, vegetables, livestock, poultry, or beehives on any farmlands under their control, and they may kill game for harming crops or livestock — but must report the kill to a Wildlife Conservation Officer. This reporting requirement is not optional.
Important Note: Any wildlife killed outside of a regulated hunting season must be reported to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Failing to report is itself a violation of the Game and Wildlife Code.
Legal Methods for Killing Raccoons in Pennsylvania
Even when you are legally permitted to kill a raccoon, the method matters. Not every approach is allowed under Pennsylvania law.
Firearms and Live Ammunition
Shooting live ammunition, whether to frighten or kill, has limited application. Generally, live ammunition may only be fired during hunting season or under permit. Outside of a regulated hunting season, discharging a firearm to kill a raccoon — even on your own property — is generally not permitted unless you have obtained authorization from the Game Commission.
Night hunting is allowed for raccoons, and artificial lights can be used. Most hunters carry a .22 rifle or pistol when harvesting raccoons, but only during lawful hours and in accordance with firearm restrictions.
Hunting Hours
During furbearer seasons, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, and weasel may be hunted any hour, day or night. This is one of the more permissive rules for raccoon hunting compared to other game species in Pennsylvania.
Euthanasia After Trapping
If you have legally trapped a raccoon and cannot or choose not to release it on your property, humane euthanasia is an option. If releasing the raccoon nearby is not an option, you can humanely euthanize it with a .22-caliber rifle or pistol, or by placing it in a carbon dioxide chamber. If the raccoon is going to be tested for rabies, do not shoot it in the head. Note that discharging firearms in developed areas is often prohibited by local safety ordinances and state hunting laws.
Kill Traps
Kill trapping may require a furtaker’s license or permit from the Game Commission. If you plan to use a body-gripping or lethal trap rather than a live cage trap, confirm your licensing requirements with the PGC before setting any device.
Pro Tip: Always check the current Pennsylvania Hunter-Trapper Digest before taking any action. Regulations are updated annually, and what applied last season may have changed. The PGC publishes the digest on its official website each year.
Trapping Raccoons in Pennsylvania: Rules and Restrictions
Trapping is often the most practical approach for homeowners dealing with nuisance raccoons, and Pennsylvania law allows it — within a defined set of rules. Understanding those rules before you set a trap is essential, because violations can result in fines even if your intent was simply to protect your property.
Who Can Trap
It is legal to trap raccoons in Pennsylvania, but only landowners or private property owners can do this. For kill-trapping, a license is required from the Game Commission. Live-cage trapping for nuisance control purposes has more flexibility for property owners, but you should still contact your regional PGC office before setting traps.
Trap Specifications
Raccoons are relatively easy to catch in traps. A cage or box trap should be used in populated areas or if you have free-ranging pets in your neighborhood. Use a well-built trap that is at least 10 inches by 12 inches by 32 inches.
Trap Checking Requirements
All traps must be checked every 36 hours. Some sources from the Game Commission indicate daily checks are expected — once traps are set, they must be checked daily. To be safe, plan to check any trap you set at least once every 24 hours.
Safety Zones
It is unlawful to hunt for, shoot at, trap, take, chase, or disturb wildlife within 150 yards of any occupied residence, camp, industrial or commercial building, farm house or farm building, or school or playground without the permission of the occupants. This safety zone applies to trapping as well as hunting, and it can significantly limit where you can legally set traps in suburban or semi-rural settings.
Baiting Your Trap
Bait the traps with sweet fruit such as cherries or grapes, marshmallows, or jelly to reduce the chance of catching non-target animals. Place a pile of bait behind the trigger and scatter a little bait outside the opening of the trap and just inside the trap entrance.
For more context on what naturally attracts and repels raccoons, you may find it helpful to review plants that repel raccoons as a preventive measure alongside trapping efforts.
Common Mistake: Setting a kill trap without a furtaker’s license, or failing to check a live trap within the required timeframe, are both violations under Pennsylvania law — even when your goal is legitimate nuisance control.
Can You Relocate a Raccoon Instead of Killing It in Pennsylvania?
Many people prefer relocation over lethal control, but Pennsylvania’s rules on this topic are more restrictive than most people expect — and for good reason.
Why Relocation Is Discouraged for Raccoons
Since raccoons — along with skunks, bats, groundhogs, foxes, and coyotes — are rabies vector species, they should not be relocated like other wildlife. Moving a potentially rabid animal to a new location creates a public health risk for the communities and wildlife in that area.
In compliance with Pennsylvania law, all raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, bats, foxes, and coyotes taken in by Animal Control are systematically killed unless the resident authorizes its release on the same property. This policy reflects the state’s position that off-site relocation of rabies vector species is not an acceptable outcome.
What You Can Do Instead
Raccoons should be released on your property following repair of openings, but the potential for recurring damage and for conflicts with other landowners should also be considered when making this decision. In other words, if you live-trap a raccoon and want to avoid killing it, your legally defensible option is to release it on your own property — after you have sealed the entry points it was using.
This approach works best when combined with exclusion methods. Exclusion and trapping are probably the two most commonly used approaches for dealing with nuisance wildlife, and exclusion can be effective for species such as rabbits, bats, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, and groundhogs.
The Ecological Reality of Relocation
Studies have shown that most relocated animals do not survive due to not knowing where to find shelter, water, and food, along with territorial clashes with animals already in the new location. Typically, a “relocated” animal will die within a few weeks. Even setting aside the legal issues, relocation is rarely the humane solution it appears to be.
Understanding raccoon predators and natural population dynamics can also provide useful context — see predators of raccoons and what animals eat raccoons for background on how populations are naturally regulated.
Hiring a Licensed Wildlife Control Operator in Pennsylvania
If you are uncomfortable handling the situation yourself, or if the infestation is complex — such as a family of raccoons denning in your attic — hiring a licensed professional is often the most effective and legally straightforward option.
What the License Requires
A nuisance wildlife control operator permit is required for any resident or nonresident person to take, harass, transport, release, or dispatch designated wildlife for another person, or to solicit or offer services for that purpose. This means anyone charging money to remove raccoons from your property must hold a valid PGC Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator (NWCO) permit — not just a general pest control license.
You can verify a contractor’s credentials by asking for their PGC permit number directly. Licensed operators work under the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
What a Licensed Operator Can Do
A licensed NWCO has more flexibility than a private homeowner. They can use a broader range of trapping devices, handle dispatch in situations where a homeowner legally cannot, and manage the proper disposal or reporting of any animals taken. They are also equipped to handle the rabies risk that comes with raccoon contact.
For assistance in the control of problem raccoons, contact a licensed wildlife control operator in your area. Hunting and trapping during established, regulated seasons can be effective in removing nuisance individuals and lowering the local population.
You can search for PGC-licensed operators through the WildlifeHelp.org Pennsylvania raccoon resource, which is supported by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Wildlife Management Institute.
Pro Tip: Before hiring any wildlife removal company, confirm they hold a current PGC Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator permit. Unlicensed operators working for pay are violating state law, and using one could expose you to liability as well.
Local Ordinances That May Override State Law in Pennsylvania
State law sets the baseline for what is and is not permitted when dealing with raccoons in Pennsylvania, but local municipalities can — and often do — impose additional restrictions. In some cases, local rules are stricter than what the state allows.
Firearm Discharge Restrictions
Discharge of cracker shells, firearms, or both may be regulated by municipality. Check your local ordinances. Many boroughs and townships in Pennsylvania — particularly in suburban Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and other densely populated areas — prohibit the discharge of firearms within their boundaries entirely, regardless of whether state hunting law would otherwise permit it.
Discharging firearms in developed areas is often prohibited by local safety ordinances and state hunting laws. Even if you are within your rights under state law to dispatch a trapped raccoon with a firearm, your municipality may prohibit it. In those situations, a carbon dioxide chamber or a call to a licensed wildlife control operator are your practical alternatives.
Trapping Restrictions
Some municipalities have passed ordinances that restrict or outright ban the use of traps within city or borough limits. These local rules are independent of the state trapping season and can apply even when you are acting as a landowner protecting your property. Always verify with your local government before setting any trap.
HOA and Lease Restrictions
Beyond government ordinances, homeowners association rules or lease agreements may further limit your options. Some HOAs prohibit trapping or the use of certain deterrents on common or adjacent property. If you rent, your landlord’s authorization is typically required before you take any wildlife control action.
For comparison on how other states handle similar wildlife laws, you may find it useful to review roadkill laws in Pennsylvania or see how neighboring states approach wildlife regulations, such as West Virginia and Virginia.
Important Note: When in doubt about whether a specific action is legal in your municipality, contact your regional Pennsylvania Game Commission office before acting. The PGC maintains regional offices across the state and can clarify what is permitted in your area.
Killing a raccoon in Pennsylvania is legal — but only within a clear framework of seasons, licenses, property rights, and reporting requirements. The safest approach is to start with exclusion and deterrence, use live trapping when necessary, and contact a licensed wildlife control operator if the situation is beyond what you can handle safely and legally on your own. When lethal control is warranted, make sure you meet the licensing requirements, follow the method restrictions, and report any kill to the Game Commission as required by law.