Can You Kill Raccoons in Wisconsin? What State Law Actually Allows
May 24, 2026
Raccoons are one of Wisconsin’s most adaptable and persistent wild animals, turning up in attics, raiding gardens, and rummaging through trash cans in both rural and urban neighborhoods. If you’re dealing with a problem animal, your first question is probably a practical one: can you legally kill it?
The short answer is yes — but the rules depend on who you are, where you are, and how you go about it. Wisconsin law gives landowners significant authority to deal with nuisance raccoons, while placing clear limits on methods, relocation, and what non-landowners can do. Understanding those distinctions before you act is essential.
Are Raccoons Protected in Wisconsin?
Raccoons in Wisconsin occupy an interesting legal category. Under Wisconsin law, the raccoon is classified as a fur-bearing animal, which means it falls under the state’s wildlife management framework — but it is not a protected species in the way that songbirds or endangered animals are.
Raccoons are a common and well-known furbearer in Wisconsin, recognizable by their distinctive black masks and ringed tails. They can live almost anywhere and will eat almost anything, which is why they do very well in urban areas where they have access to human-supplied sources of food.
Raccoons carry many diseases that can affect human and/or pet health, including rabies and raccoon roundworm, which is part of why Wisconsin law gives property owners relatively broad authority to deal with them. They are not listed as a threatened or endangered species under Wisconsin or federal law, so standard protections for rare wildlife do not apply.
Key Insight: Raccoons are classified as furbearers under Wisconsin law, not as protected wildlife. This distinction is what makes landowner removal rights so broad compared to other states.
You can learn more about raccoon behavior and biology in our raccoon species overview, and if you’re curious about the different types of raccoons found across North America, that resource covers the key variations.
When Can You Legally Kill a Raccoon in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin law draws a clear line between landowners and everyone else. If you own or occupy the land where raccoons are causing problems, your rights are quite broad.
Landowners are not required to have a hunting or trapping license to shoot or trap raccoons on their own property. This is confirmed directly by the Wisconsin DNR’s nuisance wildlife guidance. The DNR states that raccoon hunting and trapping is legal year-round on your own property.
Under Wisconsin Statute 29.337, the owner or occupant of any land, and any member of his or her family, may hunt or trap raccoons on the land without a license issued under this chapter. That right extends to family members living with you, making it a household-level exemption rather than a strictly individual one.
There is one key timing restriction to be aware of: an owner or occupant may not hunt any of these wild animals during the period of 24 hours before the time for commencement of the deer hunting season in any area where an open season for hunting deer with firearms is established. Outside of that narrow window, year-round removal is permitted on your own land.
Important Note: The no-license landowner exemption applies only to the property owner, occupant, and their family members. Anyone else helping you — a neighbor, a friend, a hired hand — is subject to different rules and generally needs a valid hunting or trapping license plus written landowner authorization.
If someone is assisting you as an agent or contractor, all persons assisting a landowner in the removal of animals causing damage must possess a valid hunting license if shooting the animal or a valid trapping license if trapping, along with written approval from the landowner.
For context on how Wisconsin’s approach compares to neighboring states, see our guides on Wisconsin roadkill laws and West Virginia wildlife laws.
Legal Methods for Killing Raccoons in Wisconsin
Wisconsin does not restrict landowners to a single removal method, but there are rules around what tools and weapons are permitted — particularly in urban areas where discharging a firearm may be restricted by local ordinance.
On rural or unincorporated land where firearms are lawful, shooting is a common and legal method. It is forbidden to hunt with anything other than a bow, crossbow, arrow, rifle, handgun, shotgun, muzzleloader, or falconry. Fully automatic weapons are not permitted for hunting under any circumstances.
Body-gripping traps, foothold traps, and kill traps are all legal for raccoons under Wisconsin trapping regulations, subject to the placement and set-tending rules described in the next section. Non-submersion sets shall be tended at least once each day and any animal captured shall be removed from the set.
- Rifles, handguns, and shotguns (where firearm discharge is lawful)
- Bows and crossbows (no time-of-day restriction for unprotected species)
- Body-gripping and foothold traps
- Live box traps (permitted even in areas where firearms are prohibited)
- Snares in water sets (subject to DNR specifications)
Pro Tip: In cities and villages where discharging a firearm is illegal, live trapping followed by humane euthanasia on-site is your most practical legal option. Relocating a live-trapped raccoon off your property comes with its own set of restrictions — see the relocation section below.
Raccoons have several natural predators in Wisconsin. If you’re interested in understanding what controls raccoon populations in the wild, our article on predators of raccoons and what animals eat raccoons provides useful context. For a non-lethal approach to keeping raccoons away from gardens and structures, plants that repel raccoons offers practical deterrent strategies.
Trapping Raccoons in Wisconsin: Rules and Restrictions
Trapping is one of the most commonly used methods for raccoon removal in Wisconsin, and the rules vary depending on whether you hold a trapping license and where you are setting traps.
The owner or occupant of any land and any family members who live with them do not need a license to trap coyote, beaver, fox, raccoon, woodchuck, rabbit, and squirrel on the land year-round. This is the core landowner exemption that eliminates the licensing barrier for most homeowners dealing with a nuisance animal.
In areas where discharging a firearm is unlawful — such as most cities and villages — the owner or occupant of any land, any member of the owner or occupant’s family, and any individual with the owner or occupant’s consent may take raccoons on the land at any time by means of live trapping with box traps.
Live-trapped animals must be either humanely killed or released within 24 hours on unenclosed private land with the landowner’s permission. This 24-hour rule is important — you cannot simply leave a raccoon sitting in a live trap indefinitely.
For trappers operating under a license (rather than as landowners), additional requirements apply:
- Each trap used in accordance with a trapping permit must be marked with a metal tag stating the owner’s name and address.
- All live fur-bearing creatures caught during the species’ open season must be immediately put to death and added to the daily bag. Such animals may not be kept alive after capture unless a DNR permission or license authorizing their custody has been secured first.
- During the closed season, setting traps or snares for furbearers is not permitted under a standard trapping license — the landowner exemption is what allows year-round action for property owners specifically.
Common Mistake: Many people assume they can trap a raccoon and then simply drive it to a nearby park or forest and let it go. Wisconsin law places specific restrictions on where and how relocated animals can be released — read the next section carefully before you set any trap.
Raccoon dens and den trees also carry a specific protection: under Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 10.13, it is prohibited to molest any raccoon den or den trees. This applies even when removal of the animal itself is lawful.
Can You Relocate a Raccoon Instead of Killing It in Wisconsin?
Relocation sounds like the humane middle ground — catch the raccoon alive and release it somewhere far away. In practice, Wisconsin law makes this more complicated than most people expect, and wildlife professionals often advise against it even where it is technically permitted.
The first hard rule: animals that have been live-captured may not be relocated to DNR-controlled lands. When relocating animals to private property, the person must have permission from the owner of the land where the animal is being released. This effectively rules out releasing a raccoon in any state park, state forest, or other DNR-managed area.
The second constraint is the 24-hour window. Live-trapped animals must be either humanely killed or released within 24 hours on unenclosed private land with the landowner’s permission. That means you need a willing private landowner lined up before you set the trap — not after you’ve already caught the animal.
Important Note: Wildlife biologists and the Wisconsin DNR generally discourage relocation as a long-term solution. Relocated raccoons often fail to survive in unfamiliar territory, and new raccoons typically move into the vacated habitat within weeks. Addressing the food and shelter attractants on your property is a more effective strategy.
The DNR recommends several non-lethal deterrents before trapping becomes necessary. Remove potential food sources such as open garbage cans and pet food bowls, hang bird feeders where raccoons cannot access them and clean up spilled bird seed, and keep buildings raccoon-proof by securing access to holes and broken windows.
You can also repel raccoons from your garden by installing a single wire electric fence set at 6 inches or a double wire electric fence set at 5 and 12 inches, and trim trees so they do not overhang your roof, prune overgrown bushes, and remove or elevate woodpiles.
For those interested in how wildlife removal laws vary by state, our guides on Washington state wildlife laws and Wyoming wildlife laws offer useful comparisons.
Hiring a Licensed Wildlife Control Operator in Wisconsin
If you would rather not handle a raccoon problem yourself — or if the situation involves an attic infestation, a large number of animals, or a location where firearms are prohibited — hiring a licensed wildlife control operator (WCO) is a practical and legally straightforward option.
In Wisconsin, professional wildlife control operators must hold the appropriate DNR licensing and operate within the same legal framework that governs private trapping. These nuisance wildlife control operators deal with conflicts between people and wildlife, such as raccoons digging through trash cans, and are licensed and insured professionals who can get the problem taken care of.
When you hire a WCO, the agent status rules apply: all persons assisting a landowner in the removal of animals causing damage must possess a valid hunting license if shooting the animal or a valid trapping license if trapping, along with written approval from the landowner that includes the signature of the landowner or lessee and the date.
| Approach | License Required? | Year-Round? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landowner self-removal (shoot or trap) | No | Yes | Rural properties, single animals |
| Family member assisting landowner | No | Yes | Same property, household members |
| Non-family assistant/agent | Yes (hunting or trapping license) | Yes (with written authorization) | Neighbors helping, informal help |
| Licensed wildlife control operator | Yes (professional license + written landowner approval) | Yes | Attic infestations, urban settings, large-scale removal |
| Licensed trapper (public land) | Yes (trapping license) | Seasonal only | Recreational trapping during open season |
The Wisconsin Trappers Association maintains a nuisance animal removal list of licensed trappers available for hire. Membership in the WTA is required to appear on this list. You can also contact the Wisconsin DNR Call Center at 1-888-936-7463 to get referrals for nuisance wildlife assistance in your area.
For situations involving potential disease exposure — particularly if a raccoon has been behaving erratically or has bitten a person or pet — contact your local health department in addition to a wildlife control operator. Raccoons carry many diseases that can affect human and/or pet health, and rabies exposure protocols may apply.
Local Ordinances That May Override State Law in Wisconsin
State law sets the floor for what is permitted, but it does not override local regulations — and in Wisconsin, the gap between state rules and local ordinances can be significant, especially in cities and suburban areas.
There is no need for a DNR license to remove raccoons on your own property, but it is advised to check with the local government to make sure residents are adhering to local ordinances. This is not a formality — local rules can dramatically restrict what state law otherwise allows.
The most common local restriction involves firearm discharge. Most Wisconsin cities and villages prohibit discharging firearms within city limits, which effectively eliminates shooting as a removal method even though state law permits it for landowners. In those jurisdictions, live trapping is the only lawful on-property method available to you.
Other local ordinances to be aware of include:
- Discharge ordinances: Prohibit firing any weapon, including air rifles and pellet guns, within municipal boundaries
- Animal control bylaws: Some municipalities have specific rules about trapping within city limits, including permit requirements that go beyond state law
- Nuisance animal reporting requirements: A few jurisdictions require residents to notify animal control before taking independent action
- Carcass disposal rules: Local health codes may specify how a killed raccoon must be disposed of, particularly in urban areas
Pro Tip: Before you set a trap or pick up a firearm, call your city or county clerk’s office and ask specifically about animal control and firearm discharge ordinances. A five-minute phone call can save you from a fine or legal complication.
County-level regulations also vary. Some Wisconsin counties have adopted additional rules around trapping near public trails, waterways, or residential developments that are not reflected in state statute. The Wisconsin DNR’s Fall 2025–Spring 2026 Trapping Regulations, which summarize Wisconsin’s trapping laws and how they affect you, are a good starting point — but they do not capture every local variation.
If you own property in multiple Wisconsin counties or near a municipal boundary, verify the rules for each jurisdiction separately. What is legal on one side of a county line may not be permitted on the other.
For additional context on how wildlife and roadkill laws vary across states, see our resources on Tennessee wildlife laws, South Carolina wildlife laws, Utah wildlife laws, and Virginia wildlife laws. Each state takes a meaningfully different approach to nuisance wildlife management, and understanding those differences can be useful if you own property across state lines or are simply curious how Wisconsin compares.