Heavy thumping in the attic at night
Raccoon movement. The weight is unmistakable — much louder than squirrels or rats.
Strong, Dexterous, and Destructive in Attics and Chimneys
Raccoon Removal in Mount Pleasant, SC
Year-round; spring litter season March-May is the most active period for attic use
In one paragraph
Raccoons are the most destructive common wildlife pest in the Lowcountry. They are strong enough to tear open a compromised soffit with their hands. Females with litters in the attic are highly motivated to stay — a one-way door approach alone is not safe when young are present. Raccoons are also the primary vector for raccoon roundworm, a serious human health concern.
Telling it apart
How to tell
The usual reasons somebody calls about this.
Torn or crushed soffit panel
Raccoons use their hands and weight to force entry. A soffit panel that has been pushed in or pulled down indicates raccoon access.
Droppings piled in one location (latrine) in the attic
Raccoons establish latrines, depositing droppings consistently in the same area. A latrine pile is a serious contamination hazard due to raccoon roundworm.
What is drawing them in
Raccoons are well-established throughout the Lowcountry and are comfortable in residential neighborhoods. The mild climate and abundant food sources — ornamental fruits, pet food left outdoors, unsecured garbage — maintain year-round populations at high density.
Coastal SC properties near wooded areas, parks, and the waterway corridors (Shem Creek, the Wando River, and tidal areas) have elevated raccoon pressure.
Raccoons follow that same water-and-tree-line pattern into crawl spaces and chimneys across Mount Pleasant, and the licensed pros we connect you with see identical entry points well beyond town limits, from the marsh-fed creeks near Church Creek and Rantowles Creek in West Ashley to the tidal marsh tributaries that thread through the same low-country terrain. Wherever oak canopy meets brackish water, raccoons find a way onto a roofline.
The pros we connect you with cover the same raccoon pressure a drive away, out toward James Island, where the Folly Road corridor and the ground near James Island County Park put attics and crawlspaces within easy reach of Stono River and Folly River tree lines. Mount Pleasant's own creek-cut lots aren't so different, and a raccoon that's already found a soffit gap on one side of that drive will find one on the other.
Coverage for this stretches well past Mount Pleasant proper, since raccoon calls follow the same creek-and-crawlspace pattern up through Goose Creek and out toward Summerville, where Nexton's newer builds and the older Historic District blocks near the Ashley River headwaters see the same den-seeking behavior once cooler nights set in. The licensed pros we connect you with know that a chimney cap or a trimmed limb near the roofline matters just as much eighteen or twenty-five miles out as it does here.
Calls for it arrive from all over Charleston County, Dunes West, Awendaw and Moncks Corner among them.
At a glance
- Size
- 15-25 lbs; body length 16-28 inches
- Strength
- Can tear open aluminum soffit and push through weakened fascia
- Litters
- One per year, typically March-May in coastal SC
- Chimney
- Will den in uncapped chimneys, especially in fireplace flue liners
- Disease risk
- Primary wildlife host for Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm)
- Time of year
- Year-round; spring litter season March-May is the most active period for attic use
- What it runs
- an estimated $99–$249
What it gets mistaken for
Opossums. Opossums are smaller, have white faces, and make less noise in the attic. Raccoon entry holes are larger and more forcibly opened. Raccoon droppings are distinctive cylindrical pellets often deposited in the same spot (a latrine).
What a job looks like
Spring (March-May) litters require hand removal of young from the attic nest before the female is excluded
One-way door over the active entry after young removal or outside litter season
All secondary openings sealed before the one-way door is installed
Latrine area treated with a licensed enzyme cleaner; insulation replacement if heavily contaminated
Entry permanently closed after confirmed departure
Some raccoons problems are genuinely finished after one visit. Others return every year whatever you do, and those are what a plan is for.
| Your situation | What normally fits |
|---|---|
| Something contained and recent | One-time treatment |
| Outside pressure that comes back each year | Scheduled cover |
| Anything nesting inside the structure itself | Treatment and exclusion |
Rules that apply here
Raccoons are classified as a furbearer in South Carolina. SC DNR regulations govern trapping and relocation. Licensed wildlife control operators handle this within the legal framework.
The mess and the repair
Raccoon damage is larger-scale than squirrel damage: torn soffit panels, crushed gable vents, and widened openings require carpentry repair. Latrine areas require insulation replacement, deck cleaning, and enzyme decontamination. Raccoon roundworm eggs can persist in the environment for years without decontamination.
Where DIY works and where it does not
Raccoon removal is not a DIY project during litter season (March-May). A female excluded from dependent young will tear new openings aggressively. Outside litter season, one-way doors are possible for experienced homeowners, but raccoon roundworm contamination in latrines requires professional handling and specific decontamination.
What the health risk actually is
Raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) eggs in raccoon droppings can cause serious neurological damage in humans if ingested. Latrine areas must be handled with gloves, P100 respirator, and disposable protective clothing. Do not sweep or vacuum dry raccoon droppings. Raccoons are also a vector for rabies in South Carolina.
The cost side
Expect roughly $99 to $249 for raccoons in this area, with access and spread doing most of the moving. The inspection costs nothing and the real number goes in writing before anyone starts. Estimated bands, and what pushes a job up or down them, are set out on the pricing guide, and the service that handles this is Wildlife Removal.
More on this
Also common around here
Gray Squirrels
Year-Round Attic Pest — No Hibernation in the Lowcountry. Gray squirrels are active year-round in the Lowcountry — they do not hibernate.
Questions & Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I trap and relocate a raccoon myself?
SC DNR regulations require a permit for trapping and relocating raccoons. Relocation is also often counterproductive — the raccoon typically returns or causes the same problem for a different homeowner. A licensed wildlife control operator handles removal within the SC regulatory framework.
How do I know if there are young in the attic?
Chirping or mewing sounds from the attic in March through May indicate a litter. Do not attempt one-way exclusion until the young are old enough to leave on their own or have been hand-removed by a professional.
Is raccoon roundworm really dangerous?
Yes. Baylisascaris procyonis larvae can migrate through human tissue and cause serious organ and neurological damage. The eggs are microscopic, invisible in droppings, and persist in soil for years. A raccoon latrine area must be handled with full protective equipment and treated with a licensed enzyme cleaner.
Get Started Today
Not sure whether that is what you have?
The inspection is free and you get a straight recommendation rather than a pitch. Same-day service where there is capacity for anything active.
Call (843) 896-1048