Nuisance Wildlife Laws in Louisiana: What Property Owners Need to Know

Louisiana’s wetlands, forests, and bayous make it one of the most wildlife-rich states in the country — and that proximity to nature comes with a real cost for property owners. Raccoons tearing through garbage, beavers flooding pastures, feral hogs destroying crops, and alligators turning up in backyard ponds are not hypothetical problems here. They happen regularly across the state, from the Atchafalaya Basin to the suburbs of Baton Rouge.

Before you set a trap or reach for a firearm, you need to understand what Louisiana law actually allows. The rules vary by species, time of day, and whether you plan to relocate or euthanize an animal — and the penalties for getting it wrong can be significant. This guide walks you through the key provisions of Louisiana nuisance wildlife law so you can act within your rights.

Important Note: Louisiana nuisance wildlife law is governed primarily by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) under Louisiana Administrative Code Title 76 and Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 56. Local parish ordinances may impose additional restrictions, so check with your parish government before taking action.

What Counts as Nuisance Wildlife in Louisiana

Louisiana law does not define “nuisance wildlife” by a single statute. Instead, the state distinguishes between several categories of animals, each carrying different rules for control. Understanding which category an animal falls into is the first step to handling it legally.

Outlaw quadrupeds are animals the state treats as inherently problematic. In Louisiana, wild hogs, armadillos, and coyotes are considered outlaw wildlife. These animals can be dealt with more freely than protected game species.

Nuisance furbearers and other species occupy a middle ground. Nuisance species that may be shot if causing property damage include nutria, beaver, skunks, and opossums. These animals receive some regulatory protection but can be controlled without a special permit when they are actively damaging property.

The governing rule applies only to the control of listed wild quadrupeds when they are conclusively proven to be creating a nuisance or causing damage to property. The burden of establishing that the animal in question is causing the property damage rests with the property owner. In practical terms, that means you should document the damage — photographs, crop loss records, or structural damage assessments — before taking any action.

Birds, deer, bears, and alligators fall into entirely separate regulatory categories with stricter rules. If you live near other states with similar wildlife conflicts, you can compare approaches by reading about nuisance wildlife laws in Texas or nuisance wildlife laws in Florida.

Your Rights as a Property Owner in Louisiana

Louisiana gives property owners meaningful authority to protect their land and structures — but that authority has clear limits. As a property owner, you may trap nuisance wildlife that is causing property damage. You may also shoot certain species under specific conditions without obtaining a permit first.

The following wild quadrupeds may be taken year-round without permit by the property owner or his designee, with written landowner permission, but only by trapping or shooting during legal daylight hours. That written permission requirement matters even on your own land if you are authorizing someone else — a tenant, family member, or hired hand — to act on your behalf.

LDWF does not remove nuisance wildlife. Instead, LDWF permits individuals — Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators — to provide these services for a fee. This means you cannot call state wildlife agents and expect them to come trap the raccoon in your attic. The state’s role is regulatory, not operational.

Pro Tip: Document property damage with dated photographs before trapping or shooting any animal. Louisiana law places the burden of proof on the property owner to show that an animal was genuinely causing damage.

Property owners must comply with all additional local laws and municipal ordinances governing the shooting or trapping of wildlife or discharge of firearms. In incorporated areas or densely populated suburbs, local ordinances may prohibit firearm discharge entirely, which would limit you to live trapping regardless of what state law permits.

Legal Methods for Removing Nuisance Wildlife in Louisiana

Louisiana law permits several methods of removal, but the legal method depends on the species and the time of day. Using the wrong method — even for a species you are allowed to remove — can result in a citation.

Live trapping is the most broadly available option. LDWF does not loan or rent traps. Traps are available from some parish animal control offices. You can also purchase traps at hardware stores and lawn and garden centers. When using a live trap, exercise caution: it can be dangerous to handle trapped animals. It is often easier to get an animal into a trap than to get one out. Wear heavy leather gloves and use extreme caution when releasing animals.

Shooting during daylight hours is permitted for outlaw quadrupeds and several nuisance species when they are causing property damage. Holders of a hunting license may take coyotes, feral hogs, and armadillos year-round during legal daylight shooting hours.

Nighttime take is allowed under specific conditions. On private property, the landowner, or his lessee or agent with written permission from the landowner and the landowner’s contact information in his possession, may take outlaw quadrupeds (coyotes, armadillos, and feral hogs), nutria, or beaver during nighttime hours. Such taking may be with or without the aid of artificial light, infrared or laser sighting devices, or night vision devices.

There is also a notification requirement for nighttime operations. Any person attempting to take outlaw quadrupeds, nutria, or beaver under the provisions of this paragraph shall notify the sheriff of the parish in which the property is located of his intention to attempt to take outlaw quadrupeds, nutria, or beaver within twenty-four hours prior to the attempted taking or immediately upon taking the animal.

Species	Daytime Shooting Permitted?	Nighttime Take Permitted?	Live Trap and Relocate?
Feral hogs, coyotes, armadillos	Yes (hunting license required)	Yes (with sheriff notification)	No — must be euthanized if captured by NWCO
Nutria, beaver	Yes (no special permit needed)	Yes (with written landowner permission)	No — must be euthanized if captured by NWCO
Raccoons, squirrels, opossums	Yes (trapping or shooting)	Restricted	Yes (with written permission at release site)
Alligators	No — LDWF-licensed hunters only	No — LDWF-licensed hunters only	No — contact LDWF
Bats	No lethal methods allowed	No lethal methods allowed	Exclusion or relocation only

Avoid trapping in the spring and early summer, which are breeding seasons for most wildlife. Removing adult animals may result in orphaning young animals. If orphaned young are in an attic or under a house, they could die, which could cause additional issues as they decay.

Relocation Rules in Louisiana

Relocation sounds like the humane solution, but Louisiana law restricts it more than most people expect. For some species, relocation is not a legal option at all — the animal must be euthanized after capture.

Raccoons, skunks, feral hogs, coyotes, and nutria shall not be relocated and shall be euthanized, within 12 hours of capture, in accordance with the current AVMA guidelines on euthanasia. This rule applies to licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators, and it exists primarily because these species carry disease risks — particularly rabies in raccoons and skunks — and because invasive animals like feral hogs and nutria can devastate new habitats if released elsewhere.

For species that can be legally relocated, the rules are specific. Squirrels, rabbits, foxes, bobcats, mink, otter, muskrat, raccoons, and other listed species may be trapped alive and relocated to suitable habitat without a permit, provided certain conditions are met. Those conditions include a written permission requirement. Written permission must be obtained from the property owner where the animals are to be released, and such written permission must be carried in possession while transport and release activities are taking place.

There is also a distance rule. Wildlife that is relocated shall be released at least five miles outside of any city limit and must be released within the state of Louisiana. You cannot transport a trapped raccoon across state lines, and you cannot release it in the middle of a city park. Additionally, captured wildlife that appears to be sick or injured shall not be relocated. NWCOs must contact the appropriate LDWF regional office for instructions regarding sick wildlife.

Also worth noting: no animal taken under nuisance wildlife provisions or parts thereof shall be sold. A valid trapping license is required to sell or pelt nuisance furbearers during the open trapping season. And once you trap an animal, you are on a clock: no species taken under the provisions of this rule shall be kept in possession for a period of time exceeding 12 hours.

Species With Special Rules in Louisiana

Several animals in Louisiana require specific handling that goes beyond the general nuisance wildlife framework. If you encounter any of the following, standard property-owner rules may not apply.

American Alligator

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is one of Louisiana’s most iconic animals and one of its most tightly regulated. LDWF licenses Nuisance Alligator Hunters across the state to capture nuisance alligators and minimize conflicts between alligators and humans. If you are experiencing problems with a nuisance alligator, contact the LDWF offices listed on the Nuisance Alligators page. For alligators under five feet, your parish animal control office may assist. Alligators over five feet require a call to Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries at 225-765-2800 to report the problem. Do not attempt to trap, shoot, or relocate an alligator on your own — violations carry fines starting at $400 and up to $950, plus a replacement value penalty of $375 per animal, as documented in LDWF enforcement records.

Louisiana Black Bear

The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) carries some of the heaviest legal protections of any animal in the state. The Louisiana black bear has been listed on the Federal Threatened and Endangered Species List since 1992. Citizens are reminded that killing a Louisiana black bear is a violation of both state law and the federal Endangered Species Act. The civil replacement value for an illegally taken black bear is $10,000 under Louisiana law, and federal penalties can reach $100,000 in fines plus up to one year of imprisonment. Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators are permitted to handle most species except deer, bears, migratory birds, and alligators. If a bear is causing problems on your property, contact LDWF immediately — do not attempt removal yourself.

Bats

Bats receive special protection under LDWF rules regardless of whether they are causing a nuisance. Bats may be controlled by exclusion or by capture and relocation only. Bats shall not be controlled by any lethal methods. If bats have colonized your attic, the only legal options are exclusion devices and relocation — and timing matters. Exclusions should not be performed when young bats are present and unable to fly, typically from May through August.

Migratory Birds

This rule has no application to any species of bird, as birds are the subject of other state and federal laws, rules, and regulations. Migratory birds — including most songbirds, raptors, swallows, and waterfowl — are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Removing nests, eggs, or birds without a federal depredation permit is a federal offense. Contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if migratory birds are nesting in a problematic location.

Nutria

The nutria (Myocastor coypus), a large semi-aquatic rodent native to South America, has caused extensive damage to Louisiana’s coastal marshes. During daylight hours, landowners or their designees may remove nutrias and beavers causing damage to their property without a special permit. Nutrias may be removed by any means; legal methods for beavers include water set traps and firearms. The nutria is an invasive rodent that has caused significant damage to Louisiana’s wetlands. Instead of a possession ban, the state operates the Coastwide Nutria Control Program, which encourages the managed harvest of these animals during specific seasons to protect the coastal marshland.

For more on how neighboring states handle similar species conflicts, see nuisance wildlife laws in Mississippi or review the framework used in nuisance wildlife laws in Georgia.

When You Need a Licensed Wildlife Control Operator in Louisiana

Some situations clearly call for a professional. Knowing when to step back and hire a licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator (NWCO) can save you from a costly violation — and from a dangerous encounter.

There are more than 100 permitted Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators located across the state. Contact the Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator closest to you for assistance with nuisance wildlife. Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators are not employees of LDWF or the State of Louisiana. They are private contractors who charge for their services, and their rates vary by species, location, and scope of work.

NWCOs must meet strict licensing requirements to operate legally. All NWCOs must have a valid NWCO permit issued by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in their possession while engaged in nuisance wildlife control activities. NWCO permits are issued only to individuals and each individual engaged in NWCO activities must possess a NWCO permit issued in his or her name. In addition, all NWCOs must possess a valid Louisiana trapping license and valid Louisiana basic hunting license in their possession while engaged in nuisance wildlife control activities.

To earn the NWCO permit, applicants must pass a written examination. The applicant must achieve a minimum score of 80 percent on the LDWF NWCO examination. The examination consists of questions relating to wildlife biology and behavior, nuisance animal control methods and procedures, and nuisance wildlife control laws, rules, and regulations.

You should call a licensed NWCO when:

• An alligator over four feet is on or near your property
• You suspect an animal may be rabid or visibly sick
• Bats have colonized your attic or wall cavities
• A bear is frequenting your property
• You are unsure whether a species is protected or what methods are legal
• Structural damage to your home requires professional exclusion work

You can search for NWCO operators by parish on the LDWF Nuisance Wildlife Control and Removal page. For a comparison of how other states structure their licensing programs, the framework used for nuisance wildlife laws in Ohio and nuisance wildlife laws in Michigan offer useful context.

Pro Tip: Before hiring a NWCO, verify their permit number with LDWF. Operating without a valid permit is a violation, and any work performed by an unlicensed operator may not be legally defensible if questions arise later.

Penalties for Violating Nuisance Wildlife Laws in Louisiana

Louisiana takes wildlife violations seriously, and penalties scale with the severity and classification of the offense. Violations are grouped into classes under Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 56, with each class carrying a defined range of fines and potential jail time.

Violations of animal ownership and wildlife laws in Louisiana often fall under Class Three violations, which carry tiered penalties based on the number of prior offenses. For a first offense, a person may face fines between $250 and $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both. These penalties increase significantly for repeat offenders, with third or subsequent violations resulting in fines up to $1,000 and mandatory imprisonment of 90 to 120 days.

For the most serious offenses — particularly those involving protected or endangered species — penalties climb sharply. For a Class Six violation, the fine shall be not less than $900 nor more than $950, or imprisonment for not more than 120 days, or both, and shall include the forfeiture to the commission of anything seized in connection with the violation.

Beyond criminal fines, Louisiana also imposes civil replacement values for illegally taken wildlife. The state has assigned replacement values to more than 250 types of animals, fish, birds, and reptiles that become penalties for those who harvest wildlife illegally. The numbers range from $10,000 for the black bear — the largest figure on the books — to $1,539.37 for a turkey, $150 for a pine snake, and $20.32 for a squirrel.

In addition to fines and jail time, the state has the authority to seize any animal possessed in violation of wildlife laws. Enforcing officers may take custody of illegally held animals, and those involved in repeat offenses may be required to forfeit the animals to the state. Equipment used in the violation — traps, firearms, vehicles — may also be confiscated.

One narrow safe harbor exists: the law allows individuals to voluntarily surrender an illegally possessed live animal to the department without penalty, provided they do so before an investigation or official contact begins. If you realize you have made a mistake, contact LDWF proactively rather than waiting for an enforcement action.

Violation Class	Fine Range	Possible Jail Time	Example Offense
Class Two	$150–$350	Up to 60 days	Minor permit or reporting violations
Class Three	$250–$500 (1st offense); up to $1,000 (3rd+)	Up to 90–120 days	Taking a protected species; illegal possession
Class Six	$900–$950	Up to 120 days	Serious wildlife violations; endangered species
Federal ESA Violation (black bear)	Up to $100,000	Up to 1 year	Taking a Louisiana black bear

Louisiana’s nuisance wildlife framework gives property owners real tools to protect their land, crops, and structures — but those tools come with firm legal boundaries. Knowing which species you can handle yourself, which require a licensed operator, and which are entirely off-limits keeps you on the right side of state and federal law. When in doubt, contact the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries directly, or consult the relevant provisions of Louisiana Administrative Code Title 76, Section V-125 before taking action. For additional state-by-state comparisons, the guides on nuisance wildlife laws in Tennessee and nuisance wildlife laws in North Carolina cover similar Southern-state frameworks in detail.