Raccoons are everywhere in Virginia — raiding trash cans, nesting in attics, and causing thousands of dollars in property damage every year. If one has made your property its home, your first question is probably whether you can simply get rid of it for good. The answer depends heavily on who you are, where you live, and what the animal is doing.
Virginia law gives property owners more options than many people realize, but it also draws firm lines around what you cannot do. Before you reach for a trap or a firearm, you need to understand exactly where those lines fall — because the consequences of getting it wrong can include criminal charges.
Are Raccoons Protected in Virginia?
Raccoons are not federally protected wildlife, but they are regulated under Virginia state law. Under Virginia’s hunting and trapping framework, raccoons are classified as game animals, alongside bear, bobcat, deer, elk, fox, rabbit, and squirrel. That classification matters because it means raccoons cannot be taken arbitrarily — specific seasons, licenses, and methods apply.
The Virginia Administrative Code specifically states that it is unlawful to take, possess, import, export, buy, sell, offer for sale, or liberate within the Commonwealth any wild animals unless otherwise specifically permitted by law or regulation. Raccoons fall squarely within that rule.
Raccoons are indigenous to the area and fulfill an ecological niche, helping to regulate rodent and other pest populations. Under state law, they cannot be relocated, needlessly killed, or harassed. That said, Virginia law does carve out meaningful exceptions for landowners dealing with genuine property damage or safety threats — which is where most homeowner situations fall.
Key Insight: Raccoons in Virginia are game animals with regulated seasons and licensing requirements. “Needlessly” killing one outside those rules can expose you to legal liability, but legitimate nuisance situations carry their own legal pathways.
If you want to understand more about raccoon behavior and biology before deciding on a removal approach, the raccoon species overview covers what makes these animals so adaptable to suburban environments.
When Can You Legally Kill a Raccoon in Virginia?
There are two primary legal pathways for killing a raccoon in Virginia: during the regulated open hunting season, and outside that season under the landowner nuisance provision.
During Open Hunting Season
The open hunting season for raccoons in Virginia runs from October 15 through March 10, statewide. During this window, any properly licensed hunter may take raccoons using legal methods. Hunting is permitted day or night, lights may be used as long as the light is not attached to or cast from a vehicle, and night vision scopes and laser sights may be used.
Outside of Season: The Landowner Nuisance Provision
This is the rule most homeowners rely on. Under Virginia Code § 29.1-517, a landowner may trap or shoot fur-bearing animals upon his own land during the closed season when these animals are causing damage to crops or property, or are posing a threat to human health or safety, or are otherwise causing a nuisance.
The critical limitation here is ownership. While any landowner is allowed to trap the offending animal during the closed season when raccoons are causing damage to crops or property or are posing a threat to human health, this provision applies only to the landowner — that individual cannot get someone else to assist except for a permitted wildlife control operator.
Important Note: The nuisance provision under § 29.1-517 applies to the landowner only. Tenants, family members, or hired helpers who are not permitted wildlife control operators cannot legally act under this provision on your behalf.
Raccoons are also one of the primary carriers of rabies in Virginia. You should contact your local health department or animal control officer if a raccoon exhibits signs of rabies such as stumbling, foaming at the mouth, or aggression. A raccoon displaying those symptoms may need to be handled by animal control rather than by you directly.
Legal Methods for Killing Raccoons in Virginia
Virginia law permits several methods for taking raccoons, but the method you can use depends on whether you are hunting during open season or acting under the landowner nuisance provision.
Firearms
Raccoons that are causing damage or posing a health threat may be shot legally — but only by the landowner — at any time under § 29.1-517. Despite this authority given to landowners, many cities and towns in Virginia have local ordinances that prohibit the discharge of firearms within their incorporated limits, thereby preventing a landowner who lives in such an area from using this option. If you live in a suburban or urban area, check your local ordinances before assuming a firearm is on the table.
Lethal Traps
Lethal traps are designed to kill a raccoon swiftly and as humanely as possible. An example is the body-gripping trap, such as the Conibear. When set properly and triggered, spring steel bars snap shut tightly around the animal’s chest, breaking the rib cage and severing the spinal column.
Given the inherent risk, body-gripping traps must be used only where the potential of attracting or ensnaring a pet or nontarget wildlife is low. Placing a Conibear trap in an area where neighborhood cats or dogs roam is both dangerous and legally problematic.
Electronic Calls and Dogs
During open hunting season, additional methods are permitted. Dogs may be used (except where prohibited), and electronic calls may be used on private lands for raccoons with written permission of the landowner, and on public lands except where specifically prohibited.
Pro Tip: If you plan to use any lethal method, confirm your local municipality’s firearm discharge ordinances first. In many Northern Virginia counties and incorporated cities, shooting a raccoon on your property — even legally under the nuisance provision — may still violate local law.
For a broader look at what naturally keeps raccoon populations in check, the predators of raccoons page provides useful context on their place in the food chain.
Trapping Raccoons in Virginia: Rules and Restrictions
Trapping is often the most practical option for suburban and urban homeowners who cannot discharge a firearm on their property. Virginia’s trapping rules are more flexible than many people expect — but they come with specific conditions.
Private Land Trapping
There is a continuous open season to trap opossum and raccoon upon private lands throughout the state with the permission of the landowner. This means that if you own the property — or have the landowner’s explicit permission — you can trap raccoons year-round on that private land without waiting for a hunting season window.
Urban and Suburban Counties
Certain high-density localities have even broader continuous open trapping seasons. There is a continuous open season to trap raccoon within the incorporated limits of any city or town in the Commonwealth, and in the counties of Arlington, Chesterfield, Fairfax, Henrico, James City, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Roanoke, and York. If you live in one of these areas, trapping is available to you throughout the year without additional restrictions tied to hunting seasons.
License Requirements
Raccoons cannot be trapped or hunted without a license from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. The exception is when you are acting under the landowner nuisance provision — but even then, you must be the landowner, and the animal must be actively causing damage or posing a health risk.
Trap Check Requirements
Virginia law and best practices require regular trap checks. In some cases, customers working with removal companies may be asked to check traps and notify the operator. Leaving a live trap unattended for extended periods can constitute animal cruelty under state law, so check your traps at least once every 24 hours.
Common Mistake: Many homeowners set a live cage trap, catch a raccoon, and then have no legal plan for what to do next. Under Virginia law, you cannot relocate the animal yourself — and killing it on-site may be restricted in urban areas. Know your endpoint before you set the trap.
Can You Relocate a Raccoon Instead of Killing It in Virginia?
This is one of the most common questions Virginia homeowners ask — and the answer is a firm no, with very narrow exceptions.
It is illegal in the State of Virginia to trap and relocate an animal to another area. This applies to raccoons specifically and to wildlife generally. The prohibition exists because relocating wildlife spreads disease (particularly rabies), disrupts local ecosystems, and typically results in the animal dying anyway from stress and territorial conflict in an unfamiliar area.
It is against Virginia law for you to transport the raccoon or relocate it to some other location. Doing so can result in criminal charges being placed against you. Only properly licensed Virginia wildlife removal technicians can transport wildlife — and even they are not allowed to relocate wild animals.
So what happens to a trapped raccoon if relocation is off the table? The legally compliant options are:
- Euthanize the animal on-site if you are the landowner and local ordinances permit it
- Contact a licensed Commercial Nuisance Animal Permit (CNAP) holder, who can transport the animal off-site for humane dispatch
- Contact your local animal control agency to inquire whether they handle nuisance wildlife calls
Licensed trappers are authorized to capture certain game and furbearer species during open seasons, but they cannot transport live animals from your property. CNAP holders are authorized to trap most wildlife species at any time of the year and transport them offsite for humane dispatch at another location.
If raccoons are a recurring problem on your property, prevention is a more sustainable long-term strategy. The guide on plants that repel raccoons covers natural deterrents that can reduce the likelihood of raccoons returning after removal.
Hiring a Licensed Wildlife Control Operator in Virginia
For most Virginia homeowners — particularly those in cities, towns, or suburban counties where firearm discharge is restricted — hiring a licensed professional is the safest and most legally straightforward option.
Why Professionals Have More Options Than You Do
In Virginia, wildlife belongs to all citizens of the Commonwealth equally. It is not the property of the city, county, state government, or the VDWR. When nuisance wildlife problems arise and removal is desired, it is up to the homeowner to seek help and fund removal of the problem animals.
Licensed operators working under a Commercial Nuisance Animal Permit (CNAP) have authority that private citizens do not. CNAP holders are authorized to trap most wildlife species at any time of the year and transport them offsite for humane dispatch at another location. Whether you should choose a licensed trapper or CNAP holder will depend on the species involved, time of year, and whether or not the animal can be killed on-site.
How to Find a Licensed Operator
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has developed a Trapper Finder Tool to help the public locate licensed trappers and CNAP holders who can assist with human-wildlife conflict issues. You can also reach the DWR’s Wildlife Conflict Hotline at 1-855-571-9003 to get referrals in your area.
Most animal control departments only have adequate personnel to deal with domestic animal issues — dogs and cats. Check with your local animal control office to determine its ability to assist you. In most Virginia jurisdictions, nuisance wildlife removal is not a service that animal control will handle for free.
What to Expect from a Professional Removal
A licensed operator will assess the situation, set appropriate traps, check them regularly, and handle disposal or humane dispatch in compliance with state law. Following removal of all individuals, the inhabited space should be cleaned thoroughly to remove fecal matter, parasites, and any scent left behind that may attract other raccoons. Special protection such as a respirator, disposable gloves, and coveralls is needed to avoid inhaling airborne particles or potentially having direct contact with roundworm eggs embedded in fecal matter.
Pro Tip: When hiring a wildlife control company, confirm they hold a CNAP permit specifically — not just a general trapping license. Only CNAP holders can legally transport live raccoons off your property for off-site dispatch.
Virginia’s roadkill laws are a related area of state wildlife regulation that property owners sometimes have questions about. The roadkill laws in Virginia article explains what you can and cannot do if you find a raccoon or other animal that has been struck by a vehicle.
Local Ordinances That May Override State Law in Virginia
State law sets the floor for raccoon management in Virginia, but local governments can — and frequently do — impose stricter rules. This is one of the most important variables to check before taking any action.
You must contact the Commonwealth Attorney’s office in your county or city for information regarding legal methods of animal removal. Local ordinances are usually more restrictive than state laws.
Firearm Discharge Restrictions
The most common local restriction that affects raccoon removal is a prohibition on discharging firearms within city or town limits. Even if state law gives you the right to shoot a nuisance raccoon on your own property, a local ordinance can eliminate that option entirely. This is especially relevant in Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and other densely populated regions.
Specific County Restrictions to Know
Some Virginia counties have enacted additional wildlife-specific rules that go beyond state minimums. In Arlington, for example, it is specifically illegal to own raccoons, along with a wide range of other wild and exotic animals. While ownership rules are distinct from removal rules, they reflect the stricter posture that urban Virginia localities often take toward wildlife.
Where to Check
Before trapping, shooting, or hiring someone to remove a raccoon, take these steps to verify local rules:
- Contact your county or city’s Commonwealth Attorney’s office
- Check with your local animal control agency
- Review your municipality’s code of ordinances online (most Virginia localities publish these)
- Call the DWR Wildlife Conflict Hotline at 1-855-571-9003 for state-level guidance
When nuisance animal issues arise, the DWR relies on liberal regulations that allow citizens in towns and cities to address problems themselves. If a person is unable to handle the situation, a network of licensed nuisance animal trappers exists within the Commonwealth and can be contacted by homeowners to assist with wildlife removal.
If you are researching wildlife regulations in neighboring states as well, the roadkill laws in West Virginia and roadkill laws in Tennessee pages cover how those states handle wild animal encounters on and around your property.
Important Note: Virginia DWR’s website notes that the information it publishes is general in nature, and that specific laws and regulations are found in the Code of Virginia or the DWR’s official regulations digest. Always verify current rules directly with DWR or a legal professional before acting.
What You Should Do If You Have a Raccoon Problem
To summarize your options under Virginia law as it stands, here is a practical decision framework:
- If you are the landowner and the raccoon is causing damage or a health risk: You may trap or shoot it on your property under § 29.1-517, provided local ordinances do not prohibit firearm discharge and you are acting as the landowner — not through an unlicensed agent.
- If you are in a city, town, or one of the named suburban counties: You have a continuous open trapping season available to you, but confirm local firearm rules before using lethal methods.
- If it is open hunting season (October 15 through March 10): A licensed hunter may take raccoons statewide using legal methods.
- If you want the problem handled without personal legal risk: Hire a CNAP-permitted wildlife control operator through the DWR’s Trapper Finder Tool or by calling 1-855-571-9003.
- Do not attempt to relocate the raccoon yourself: It is illegal under Virginia law and can result in criminal charges.
Understanding what animals eat raccoons and the different types of raccoons found across North America can also help you better understand the animal you are dealing with and make more informed decisions about long-term deterrence on your property.