Around Iowa
Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.
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Local raccoon information
Raccoon control in Iowa
Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.
Raccoons in Iowa: what to know
What to note
Where you see raccoons, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.
A useful next step
Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.
Local research
Raccoons in Iowa: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which raccoons actually live in Iowa, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Year-round
Raccoon season on private land
Iowa rules allow year-round hunting and trapping of raccoons on private land.
Iowa Department of Natural ResourcesFurharvester license
License requirement
Hunters or trappers pursuing raccoons on private land they do not own must hold a valid furharvester license.
Iowa Department of Natural ResourcesCage or dog-proof traps
Legal traps outside the furharvest season
Outside the furharvest season only firearms, cage traps or dog-proof traps are legal methods of take.
Iowa Department of Natural ResourcesRaccoon species recorded in Iowa
- Raccoon (Procyon lotor) — Present in all 48 contiguous states; furbearer/game animal in most, with seasons, but nuisance take is generally allowed on one's own property.
When raccoons are busiest in Iowa
Year-round open season on private land.
Rules that apply in Iowa
For context, nationally
Sources: Iowa Department of Natural Resources; CDC; Pest Notes: Raccoons. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
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Urbandale
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Waterloo
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