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Raccoon Removal in Columbus

Last reviewed September 8, 2026 against Georgia DNR published rules and federal statute. How we research this site.

Raccoons tear their own way in, which is why they do more damage to a house than most animals that get inside one.

Columbus specifically

Riverbank woodland running through the middle of the city means Columbus raccoons do not have to commute. The nineteenth century housing along the bluff gives them uncapped chimneys and deep cornice voids within a few hundred yards of cover, which is why the historic district generates calls out of proportion to its size.

Raccoons in Muscogee County: who does what

Columbus Animal Care and Control sits inside the Special Enforcement Division of the Consolidated Government, and its published remit is the Animal and Fowl Ordinance: rabies vaccination compliance, animal registration, bite quarantines, cruelty investigations and a shelter that takes in roughly 8,400 stray, abandoned and surrendered animals a year. That is a domestic animal workload from end to end. A raccoon in a roof is not in it.

For identifying an animal or damage before anyone is paid to look, the UGA Extension, Muscogee County office (Columbus Consolidated Government) is at 1111 1st Avenue, 1st Floor, Columbus, GA 31901, 706-225-4200 (office page).

What Georgia law says about raccoons

Raccoons have no closed season and no bag limit on private land in Georgia, and a homeowner may remove one during the regulated seasons or get a DNR nuisance permit when one is damaging property. Raccoons are a rabies vector species, so a licensed operator may not relocate one: it must be euthanized, and if it bit or scratched a person or pet, the county health department’s rabies-testing instructions apply. All Georgia rules →

Sources: Georgia DNR: 2025-26 season dates; Georgia DNR: raccoon fact sheet; Georgia DNR: Nuisance Wildlife Control study material (O.C.G.A. 27 and permit conditions); Columbus Consolidated Government, Animal Care and Control. Checked October 2026.

A raccoon emerging from a torn soffit beside a damaged gable vent
Illustrative Raccoons make their own gaps, and reuse them every season until sealed.

Signs, and why they matter

  • Heavy, deliberate footsteps overhead: raccoons are big enough to sound like a person walking
  • Chittering, growling or the distinctive cry of kits, usually at dusk or just before dawn
  • A torn soffit, lifted shingles, or a ripped roof or gable vent
  • Rabies: raccoons are a primary rabies vector across the southeastern United States
  • Raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris) in the droppings, which is dangerous to people and pets

How removal works

A licensed operator finds every entry point, removes the animal, and critically any kits, which are usually hidden in a wall cavity or soffit and cannot leave on their own, then seals the openings with materials a raccoon cannot tear off. Sealing before the young are out is the most common and most expensive mistake.

Cut-away of a one-way exclusion door fitted over an entry hole A wall in cross-section with the attic on the left and outside on the right. A hinged flap is fitted over the entry hole on the outer face. An animal pushes the flap open from inside and leaves; the flap falls shut behind it, and a stop below prevents it opening inwards, so the animal cannot get back in. INSIDE: ATTIC OR CRAWLSPACE OUTSIDE WALL STOP: IT ONLY SWINGS OUT HINGED AT THE TOP OUT: ONE WAY AND NEVER BACK IN
A one-way door lets the animal leave and not return, which is why sealing the hole is the last step, not the first.

Raccoon questions

How much does raccoon removal cost in Columbus?

$300 – $600 for removal; far more if the attic needs restoring, depending on access and whether young are present. After a long stay in an attic the cleanup is often the bigger bill (attic restoration).

Is there a wrong time of year to deal with raccoons?

Spring is the worst time to trap and seal: females den in attics to give birth, and removing the mother while kits remain leaves them to die inside the structure.

Request a quote

We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Columbus where one is available. We are still building our list of operators here, so we cannot promise one is available or say how quickly they will respond.

We are an information and referral service, not a licensed wildlife control operator, and we may be paid for the introduction. You are never charged.

Request a quote from a licensed Georgia operator

Tell us what is in your house. We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Columbus where one is available. We are still building our list of operators here, so we cannot promise one is available or say how quickly they will respond.

Request a Quote