Can You Kill Raccoons in Tennessee? What the Law Actually Allows
May 28, 2026
Raccoons are one of the most adaptable and widespread wild animals in Tennessee, showing up in rural fields, suburban backyards, and urban neighborhoods alike. When one tears into your attic, raids your chicken coop, or raids your garbage night after night, it’s natural to wonder whether you can simply put a stop to it — permanently. The answer depends entirely on your situation, your location on the property, and the time of year.
Tennessee law gives property owners more flexibility than many other states when it comes to dealing with nuisance raccoons, but that flexibility comes with real limits. Ignoring those limits can result in criminal charges, loss of hunting and trapping privileges, and fines. This guide walks you through every key rule you need to know before taking action against a raccoon in Tennessee.
Are Raccoons Protected in Tennessee?
Raccoons in Tennessee occupy an interesting legal category. They are classified as a game species, which means they receive some regulatory protection — but they are not protected in the same way as endangered species, migratory birds, or animals like alligators and cougars.
Raccoons are protected under state law, and relocation of these animals requires permits from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). That protection, however, does not mean you can never kill one. It means that killing or taking a raccoon must happen within the framework set by Tennessee wildlife law.
The taking, killing, or illegal possession of any species for which a season is not set is prohibited — but raccoons do have a regulated season, which gives you legal pathways to deal with them that simply do not exist for fully protected species. You can learn more about how Tennessee handles other wildlife-related legal questions, including roadkill laws in Tennessee, which follow a similarly layered set of rules.
Key Insight: Raccoons are a regulated game species in Tennessee — not fully protected, but not open to unlimited killing either. Your legal options depend on whether you are acting under hunting season rules, property damage provisions, or nuisance control authority.
It is also worth noting that it is illegal in the State of Tennessee to take a raccoon out of the wild to be kept as a pet. Any raccoon you capture or kill must be handled in a manner consistent with state law — not kept alive as a personal animal.
When Can You Legally Kill a Raccoon in Tennessee?
There are two primary legal situations in which killing a raccoon in Tennessee is permitted: during the established hunting and trapping season, and when a raccoon is actively destroying your property.
During open hunting season: It is lawful for any person to chase raccoons with dogs at any season of the year, but no raccoon shall be killed or taken except during open season for killing or taking of raccoons, as may be prescribed by the fish and wildlife commission. According to the TWRA Hunt Season Planner (published July 2025), the statewide raccoon season runs from sunset September 19 through sunrise March 15, with a nightly bag limit of 4. There is also a private land season earlier in the year.
When raccoons are destroying your property: Tennessee Code Annotated 70-4-115 states in part that the owner of lands may destroy any wild animals, wild birds, or wild fowl when such wild animals, wild birds, or wild fowl are destroying property upon such lands. This is a meaningful protection for landowners dealing with active damage — you do not have to wait for hunting season if a raccoon is actively causing harm.
Important Note: The property damage provision applies to landowners and tenants, not to anyone who happens to be on the land. If you are a guest or visitor, you cannot invoke this exception — only the property owner or tenant can.
As a landowner or tenant, you can legally capture some species of nuisance wildlife without a permit if the animal is discovered to be causing damage. Raccoons fall within the species that qualify under this provision. For a broader look at raccoon behavior and biology, understanding what draws them to your property in the first place can help you prevent repeat problems.
Outside of these two situations — open season and active property destruction — killing a raccoon in Tennessee is not legal. Any person violating this section commits a Class C misdemeanor and, in addition to the penalties prescribed for Class C misdemeanors, is prohibited from hunting, chasing, or trapping for a period of not less than one year.
Legal Methods for Killing Raccoons in Tennessee
How you kill a raccoon matters just as much as whether you are legally allowed to do so. Tennessee law specifies which weapons and methods are permitted, and some common assumptions about what is allowed are simply wrong.
Firearms: Firearms are permitted during the open hunting season. However, no raccoon shall be shot at any time in the year either from a boat or any type of motor vehicle. This restriction applies year-round, even during the open season. Shooting from a stationary vehicle on private property is a separate matter governed by other provisions, but shooting from a moving vehicle or from a boat is never legal for raccoon hunting.
Raccoons and opossums are among the exceptions to the daylight-only hunting rule — they may be hunted at night, which aligns with their nocturnal nature. The TWRA’s published regulations confirm that spotlights, night vision, and thermal imaging devices are allowed for certain raccoon hunting scenarios on private land, with the lights not being attached to or cast from a motorized vehicle.
Dogs: A person chasing raccoons with dogs shall not use or carry any firearms, axes, or climbing instruments except during such open season as may be proclaimed. Dogs can be used to chase raccoons year-round for training purposes, but taking a raccoon — killing or capturing it — is only permitted during open season.
Traps: Live traps and kill traps are both legal tools for raccoon control in Tennessee, subject to the trapping season rules and size restrictions described in the next section. You may purchase a live box trap at most garden supply or home improvement stores.
Pro Tip: If you are acting under the property damage provision rather than the hunting season, firearms are still subject to all applicable laws — including local discharge ordinances. In many cities and towns, discharging a firearm is prohibited regardless of what state wildlife law allows. Check your local rules before reaching for a gun.
Poison is not a legal or recommended method for raccoon control in Tennessee. Beyond the legal issues, poison poses serious risks to non-target animals, pets, and children. If you are curious about what naturally keeps raccoon populations in check, you can read about the natural predators of raccoons and what animals eat raccoons.
Trapping Raccoons in Tennessee: Rules and Restrictions
Trapping is one of the most practical tools for managing raccoon problems, and Tennessee law addresses it in detail. The rules differ depending on whether you are trapping for recreational harvest or for nuisance control on your own property.
Trapping season: According to the TWRA Hunt Season Planner published in July 2025, the 2025–26 trapping season runs from November 21 through February 28. Raccoons are among the furbearers included in that season alongside beaver, coyote, groundhog, bobcat, fox, mink, muskrat, opossum, otter, spotted skunk, striped skunk, and weasel.
Trap size requirements: Steel foothold traps used for water sets must have an exterior jaw measurement of nine inches or less measured at the hinge of the trap. Steel foothold traps used for ground sets must have an exterior jaw measurement of seven inches or less measured at the hinge of the trap.
Trapping on another person’s property: When trapping on another’s property, the trapper must carry on his or her person written permission from the landowner and make a written report to the owner of any domestic animal caught and pay damages for those animals. This written permission requirement is strictly enforced in Tennessee.
Trap check requirements: If you hire a licensed Animal Damage Control operator, Animal Damage Control operators are mandated by law to check each trap within 36 hours. Even if you are trapping as a private landowner, checking traps regularly is both a legal and ethical obligation.
Common Mistake: Many people assume that because they own the property, they can trap raccoons at any time of year without any rules. In reality, the nuisance control exemption covers capture and euthanasia — it does not eliminate all regulations. Trap size rules, check intervals, and other requirements still apply.
Nuisance control trapping by landowners: As a landowner or tenant, you can legally capture some species of nuisance wildlife without a permit if the animal is discovered to be causing damage. Once captured in a live trap, you must release or euthanize the animal on your property. This brings up the critical question of relocation, which is addressed in the next section.
Can You Relocate a Raccoon Instead of Killing It in Tennessee?
Relocation sounds like the humane middle ground between doing nothing and killing an animal, but Tennessee law and wildlife biology both complicate that assumption significantly.
Relocation is ineffective and is illegal in some areas of Tennessee due to rabies. Contact your regional TWRA office for information on relocating raccoons and whether it is legal or not in your area. Rabies control zones are a real and serious constraint — moving a potentially infected animal from one area to another can spread disease and is explicitly prohibited in those zones.
Beyond the legal question, the TWRA itself discourages relocation on biological grounds. Although many people perceive relocation as a humane approach to resolving conflicts, it is in fact just the opposite. Relocated raccoons have to fight with already established raccoons for territory, food, and shelter. Many raccoons do not survive relocation, and those that do disrupt already established populations. Relocated raccoon kits are almost always abandoned, as it is near impossible for a mother to carry and care for her young while also establishing herself in a new territory.
If you still want to pursue relocation legally, you need a Wildlife Capture, Transport and Release (WCTR) Permit. Before any person in the State of Tennessee may capture, transport, and release any live wildlife species within the state, he or she must first obtain a Wildlife Capture, Transport and Release Permit from the Executive Director of the Wildlife Resources Agency.
Even with a permit, the rules are strict. Wildlife captured, transported, and released must be handled in a manner that minimizes risk of injury, and released only in the same county or adjacent county where captured. You cannot simply drive a raccoon to a state park across the state and release it. Wildlife must be released within 12 hours after capture.
The TWRA’s own recommendation is clear: relocated raccoons are quickly replaced by other raccoons. The best solution is to leave the raccoons alone and remove or modify whatever is attracting them specifically to your yard. If raccoons are being drawn to your property, consider using plants that repel raccoons as a long-term deterrent strategy.
Hiring a Licensed Wildlife Control Operator in Tennessee
If the regulations feel overwhelming or the situation is beyond what you want to handle yourself, Tennessee has a formal system for hiring professional help. These professionals are known as Animal Damage Control (ADC) operators, and they operate under a TWRA permit.
Animal Damage Control operators, permitted by TWRA, will assist landowners in trapping and/or removing nuisance wildlife at the landowner’s expense. TWRA does not have regulatory authority over these individuals and does not guarantee the quality of service they perform. That last point is important — while the state issues permits, it does not police the quality or pricing of ADC services.
ADC operators must demonstrate knowledge of wildlife and wildlife control before receiving their permit. After receiving their permit, operators are required to fill out a year-end report to monitor their control measures. At the end of June, they submit their year-end report, and the application button reappears for the next fiscal year. This annual reporting requirement helps the TWRA track what methods are being used and how many animals are being removed statewide.
Licensed operators bring several advantages beyond regulatory compliance. Raccoon removal is one of the most requested wildlife removal services, and professional technicians understand raccoon behavior, seasonal patterns, and the proper methods for safe, legal removal in Tennessee. They are also equipped to handle situations involving mothers with young — a scenario that is particularly complicated in spring.
| Approach | Who Can Do It | Permit Required? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunting season harvest | Licensed hunters | Hunting license required | Recreational harvest, Sept–March |
| Property damage removal | Landowners and tenants | No permit for capture; WCTR permit for relocation | Active property damage situations |
| ADC operator | TWRA-permitted professionals | Operator holds permit | Complex situations, attic infestations, spring litters |
| Trapping season | Licensed trappers | Trapping license required | Furbearer harvest, Nov–Feb |
If you are dissatisfied with the work of an ADC operator, you may contact your local Better Business Bureau or the Consumer Affairs Division of the Tennessee Department of Commerce. The TWRA itself does not resolve disputes between operators and their customers.
Tennessee law regulates how nuisance wildlife can be handled. Attempting to trap or relocate raccoons without proper knowledge can result in fines, injury, or separating a mother from her young, which creates a worse problem. Professional removal by a TWRA-certified company is the safest and most effective approach.
Local Ordinances That May Override State Law in Tennessee
State law sets the baseline for raccoon control in Tennessee, but it does not operate in a vacuum. Local governments — cities, counties, and municipalities — can and do impose additional restrictions that may be more limiting than what state law allows.
The most common local restriction that affects raccoon control is a firearm discharge ordinance. Many Tennessee cities and suburban counties prohibit the discharge of firearms within city limits or within a certain distance of occupied structures, regardless of what the state wildlife code permits. Even if state law allows you to shoot a raccoon that is destroying your property, a local ordinance may make that impossible to do legally in your specific location.
Some counties in Tennessee are also subject to legislative Private Acts that modify hunting and trapping rules. Legislative Private Acts also apply in some counties, and these can restrict or expand what is otherwise permitted under statewide proclamations. For example, specific counties have modified raccoon dog training seasons under Private Acts, and similar county-specific rules may affect when and how you can take raccoons.
Important Note: In Morgan County and counties located entirely east of U.S. Highway 27, special raccoon hunting provisions apply under Tennessee Code Annotated § 70-4-112(a)(2). If your property falls in East Tennessee, check with your regional TWRA office for the specific rules that govern your county.
Additionally, establishing a barrier around gardens and fields with a two-wire electric fence is allowed if permitted by local ordinances. Even non-lethal deterrents like electric fencing may require checking with your local municipality before installation. Rules vary significantly between rural and urban Tennessee.
Homeowners associations (HOAs) add another layer. If your property is governed by an HOA, its bylaws may prohibit trapping, the use of certain equipment, or any activity that could be considered a nuisance to neighbors — regardless of what state and local law allows.
The safest approach is to contact both your local government and your regional TWRA office before taking any action. TWRA divides the state into regional offices, and officers can tell you exactly which rules apply in your county. You can also review how neighboring states handle similar issues — for example, roadkill laws in Virginia and roadkill laws in West Virginia illustrate how wildlife regulations can differ significantly even across state lines. Similarly, South Carolina’s roadkill laws and Texas roadkill laws show how each state builds its own framework for human-wildlife interaction.
One final point worth keeping in mind: Tennessee HB2030, which passed both chambers in early 2026, repeals statutory requirements related to raccoon hunting, thereby permitting the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission to regulate such activities through proclamations and rules. This legislation, which became Public Chapter 774 on April 27, 2026, shifts regulatory authority from fixed statutes to TWRA proclamations — meaning specific season dates, bag limits, and rules may be updated more frequently going forward. Always verify current seasons and rules directly with the TWRA Small Game Hunting and Trapping page before you act.
Understanding the full picture — state law, local ordinances, and the biology of raccoon behavior — gives you the best chance of resolving a raccoon conflict legally, effectively, and without creating a bigger problem in the process. For more on how Tennessee wildlife law intersects with everyday situations, explore the different types of raccoons found across North America and what makes the Tennessee population particularly adaptable to human environments.