Can You Kill Raccoons in Arkansas? What State Law Actually Allows

Raccoons are one of the most adaptable and widespread wildlife species in Arkansas, showing up in rural farmsteads, suburban backyards, and urban neighborhoods alike. When they start raiding chicken coops, tearing up gardens, or getting into your attic, the question of what you can legally do about them becomes urgent fast.

The short answer is yes — it is legal to trap and kill raccoons in Arkansas. But the longer answer involves understanding which permits you need, which methods are allowed, and how the situation on your property affects your options. This guide breaks down Arkansas law so you can act confidently and stay on the right side of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Are Raccoons Protected in Arkansas?

Raccoons are not a federally protected species, and they carry no endangered or threatened status in Arkansas. Under Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) rules, raccoons are classified as furbearers, a category that also includes badger, beaver, bobcat, coyote, gray fox, red fox, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, river otter, spotted skunk, striped skunk, and weasel.

That furbearer classification means raccoons are managed wildlife — not unprotected pests you can deal with any way you choose, but also not animals with the kind of protection that would prevent you from taking action when they cause damage. The AGFC sets the rules for how, when, and under what circumstances you can hunt, trap, or kill them.

One thing Arkansas law is very clear about: it is illegal to kill wildlife using toxicants or poisons in Arkansas, even if available commercially or recommended in another state. That prohibition covers raccoons as much as any other species, so any product marketed as a raccoon poison is off the table entirely.

When Can You Legally Kill a Raccoon in Arkansas?

Arkansas gives property owners several distinct legal pathways for dealing with nuisance raccoons, and the right one depends on your situation. The broadest permission applies to landowners dealing with damage on their own property.

Beaver, coyote, muskrat, nutria, opossum, raccoon, squirrel, striped skunk, and non-game wildlife (other than migratory birds and endangered species) that are causing damage to personal property may be taken during daylight hours or trapped the entire year. This is the baseline rule — no special permit required as long as you stay within daylight hours and the raccoon is actively causing damage.

If you want to go further — shooting at night, using expanded methods, or managing raccoons for predator control purposes — the AGFC has additional permit pathways. If you wish to protect domestic livestock or pets, coyotes and raccoons can be shot during the day or trapped year-round without a permit. That’s a meaningful carve-out for anyone dealing with a raccoon that is threatening chickens, ducks, or other animals on their property.

Important Note: The no-permit daylight shooting rule applies to private property where damage is occurring. Always check with your local AGFC regional office before taking action if you are unsure whether your specific situation qualifies, as regulations can be updated. The AGFC can be reached at 800-364-4263.

For hunting raccoons as furbearers outside of a nuisance context, raccoon, opossum, and striped skunk hunting runs January 1 through December 31, with day or night hunting allowed and dogs required for night hunting. The daily limit is unlimited with unlimited possession. If you are older than 16 years of age, you need a valid Arkansas hunting license to hunt a raccoon as a furbearer.

Legal Methods for Killing Raccoons in Arkansas

The method you use matters as much as when you use it. Arkansas law permits several approaches, each tied to the specific permit or license you hold.

For daytime nuisance shooting on private property where damage is occurring, nuisance beaver, muskrat, nutria, coyote, raccoon, opossum, squirrel, and striped skunk may be taken year-round, using firearms during daylight hours only by landowners or their designees, in any number, on private property where damage is occurring.

For night hunting under a standard hunting license, it is unlawful to hunt raccoon, opossum, or bobcat at night with any rifled slug or shot size larger than No. T, or with any rifle or handgun ammunition other than rimfire ammunition of .22 caliber or smaller. Night hunting also requires dogs — you cannot spotlight raccoons at night without them under a standard hunting license.

The Predator Control Permit unlocks significantly broader options. Firearms of any caliber may be used during day or night to take these species under that permit. Artificial light may be used, except from a public road, to take these species at night. This permit is designed for landowners managing raccoon populations to protect ground-nesting birds like turkey and quail.

• Firearms (daytime, nuisance control): Legal for all property owners without a permit when raccoons are causing damage
• Firearms (nighttime, hunting license): Requires dogs; shot size limited to No. T or smaller, or .22 rimfire
• Firearms (nighttime, Predator Control Permit): Any caliber, artificial light allowed except from public roads
• Body-grip traps and foothold traps: Legal during trapping season with a trapping license
• Live cage traps: Legal year-round for nuisance removal without a Depredation Permit
• Poisons or toxicants: Strictly illegal under all circumstances

Hunters pursuing raccoons on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) should note that on WMAs, raccoon hunting runs July 1–August 31 as night hunting only; September 1–February 28 as day or night with dogs required at night; and March 1–31 as night hunting only with dogs required. These WMA-specific dates differ from the statewide year-round season that applies on private land.

Trapping Raccoons in Arkansas: Rules and Restrictions

Trapping is one of the most effective tools for dealing with problem raccoons, and Arkansas law gives you real flexibility — especially with live traps. Understanding which trap type you plan to use determines what licenses and permits you need.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission allows landowners (or their designees) to use live traps (cage traps) at any time without a Depredation Permit. That is a significant permission — it means you can set a cage trap for a nuisance raccoon on your property right now without paperwork, as long as you follow the handling and release rules that come with it.

For kill traps and foothold traps used during the formal trapping season, the licensing requirements are more specific. Furbearer hunters and trappers 16 and older must have a valid Arkansas hunting license. Resident trappers 16 and older must have a valid Resident Trapper Permit in addition to their hunting license. This permit is free. Nonresident trappers 16 and older must have a valid Nonresident Trapper Permit.

Trap specifications under AGFC regulations include the following key rules:

• You can use a foothold or body-grasping trap with a jaw spread of no more than 6 inches to trap raccoons on land.
• If you want to set a trap in water, you can use a foothold or body-clasping trap with a jaw spread of no more than 8.5 inches.
• Traps must be checked daily except kill traps, which shall be checked within 72 hours.
• Traps, including snares, must be tagged or marked with either the trapper’s name and address, their driver’s license number, their vehicle license plate number, or CID number.
• In the way of public roads, you cannot set a trap to catch raccoons.

The formal furbearer trapping season (for kill traps and foothold traps outside of nuisance control) runs from the second Saturday in November through the last day of February. Outside that window, kill-trap use for raccoons requires either a Depredation Permit or a Predator Control Permit.

Pro Tip: Cage-style live traps are the easiest path for most homeowners — no trapping license required, no season restrictions, and they work year-round. Bait with sweet corn, marshmallows, or fish-flavored cat food to attract raccoons specifically.

If you are dealing with a raccoon inside a building, landowners or their designees with Depredation Permits may use any trapping method legal for use in the fur-trapping season. Conibear or comparable body-gripping traps with jaw spreads of up to 10 inches may be used inside buildings. Cage-style live traps may be used.

Can You Relocate a Raccoon Instead of Killing It in Arkansas?

Relocation sounds like the humane middle ground, and in Arkansas it is a legal option — but it comes with specific rules you must follow. Ignoring those rules can turn a well-intentioned act into a wildlife violation.

Live trapping and relocating problem wildlife such as raccoons is allowed by state law, though local ordinances need to be checked. The AGFC’s nuisance wildlife rules spell out exactly what you must do after catching a raccoon in a live trap.

Live captured nuisance wildlife must be released unharmed on private land with landowner permission in the county of capture or adjacent to the county of capture outside a municipality’s boundaries within 24 hours. That 24-hour window is firm, and the release site must be on private land where you have the landowner’s permission — you cannot simply drop a raccoon in a public park or on the roadside.

There is also an important broader legal consideration. Wildlife may not be released into the wild without prior AGFC approval. Read alongside the live-trap exception, this means the county-of-capture rule is the approved framework for live-trap releases — anything outside that framework, such as moving a raccoon across county lines or to an unapproved site, requires contacting the AGFC first.

The core reason most states restrict raccoon relocation is disease. Raccoons are classified as a primary rabies vector species in most of the eastern United States. Moving a raccoon from one location to another spreads the animal’s established disease exposure to a new area. State wildlife agencies treat this as a public health threat, not just an animal welfare issue. That context explains why Arkansas’s relocation rules have geographic limits even when the practice is otherwise permitted.

For a comparison of how relocation rules differ across the region, see how Arkansas’s approach compares to raccoon laws in Tennessee and raccoon laws in Missouri.

Hiring a Licensed Wildlife Control Operator in Arkansas

If you would rather hand the problem off to a professional, Arkansas has a network of nuisance wildlife control operators (NWCOs) who handle raccoon removal regularly. Knowing what to expect from that process — and what the AGFC does and does not certify — helps you make an informed choice.

You can hire a local nuisance wildlife control operator. These individuals and companies are not certified by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and there is no guarantee of their service. To find a list, go to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s nuisance wildlife webpage, click on the tab Nuisance Wildlife Resources, then scroll down near the bottom of the page where it says “I Want To Hire Somebody to Solve My Nuisance Wildlife Problems.”

The AGFC’s lack of certification for NWCOs means you bear responsibility for vetting whoever you hire. Ask any prospective operator whether they hold a valid Arkansas hunting license and, if they will be trapping, a Resident Trapper Permit. Confirm they are familiar with AGFC depredation and nuisance wildlife rules before they set foot on your property.

For situations involving economic hardship or human health risk, the AGFC can issue special depredation permits. For those experiencing economic hardships or human health risks, state and sometimes federal wildlife agencies can issue special permits for removing or taking protected animals. Oftentimes wildlife must be affecting your livelihood causing substantial economic loss, or a severe health and safety concern.

You can also contact the USDA Wildlife Services nuisance wildlife hotline at 833-345-0315 for guidance on raccoon problems that go beyond what a typical NWCO handles, such as large-scale agricultural damage or suspected rabies exposure. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service also maintains a nuisance wildlife resource page with contacts for every county.

Raccoon problems in Arkansas are not unique to any one region — similar questions come up across neighboring states. See how the rules compare in Texas, Kentucky, and Ohio if you own property across state lines.

Local Ordinances That May Override State Law in Arkansas

State law sets the floor for what is allowed, but it does not prevent cities and counties from adding restrictions of their own. If you live inside an incorporated town or city in Arkansas, local rules can significantly limit your options — even when state law would otherwise permit an action.

Some cities have specific rules and regulations governing wildlife trapping and removal. Check first before using a live trap, as a permit may be required. This applies even to cage traps, which are otherwise permit-free under AGFC rules at the state level.

The Predator Control Permit is one area where the state explicitly restricts its own reach. Permits are valid only on private land outside the limits of incorporated towns. That means if you live within city limits, the Predator Control Permit does not apply to you — even if you obtain one.

Homeowners association rules add another layer. Check your homeowner association’s rules and regulations. There may be restrictions about electrical fencing, trapping, and other practices. An HOA can prohibit trapping entirely on community property, regardless of what state law says.

Important Note: Before setting any trap or discharging a firearm in connection with a nuisance raccoon, contact your city or county government to confirm local ordinances. Discharge-of-firearms ordinances in many Arkansas cities prohibit shooting within city limits, which would override the state’s daytime nuisance shooting rule.

The practical takeaway is that the further you are from an incorporated municipality, the more flexibility you have under AGFC rules. Rural landowners dealing with raccoon damage have the broadest set of legal tools available. Urban and suburban residents should verify local rules before taking any action beyond setting a cage trap.

For a broader look at how Arkansas handles other wildlife interactions, the roadkill laws in Arkansas article covers what you can and cannot do with animals struck on public roads. You can also compare raccoon regulations in other states where the legal landscape differs significantly, including Virginia, Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina.

Key Takeaways for Arkansas Property Owners

Arkansas law gives you real options when raccoons become a problem — more than many states. The key is matching your situation to the right legal pathway before you act. Here is a quick summary of what the AGFC rules allow as of the 2025–26 regulatory cycle:

Situation	What You Can Do	Permit Required?
Raccoon causing property damage (daytime)	Shoot or trap on private property	No
Raccoon threatening livestock or pets	Shoot during the day or trap year-round	No
Live-trapping for relocation	Cage trap any time; release within county within 24 hrs	No (check local ordinances)
Night shooting on private rural land	Any caliber, artificial light allowed	Yes — Predator Control Permit
Kill traps / foothold traps (trapping season)	Foothold up to 6″ jaw spread; body-grip traps legal	Yes — Hunting license + Trapper Permit
Hunting raccoons as furbearers	Year-round; dogs required at night	Yes — Hunting license
Using poison or toxicants	Not allowed under any circumstances	N/A — Illegal

When in doubt, contact your nearest AGFC regional office or call the USDA Wildlife Services hotline at 833-345-0315 before taking action. The rules are genuinely workable for most property owners — you just need to know which pathway applies to your specific situation.