A local technician removes squirrels and raccoons from Baltimore attics and chimneys, then seals the entry points so they stay out.
Fastest: call (855) 974-4733. Or send this and we call you back.
Squirrel and raccoon removal in Baltimore means finding how the animal gets in, removing it with a one-way door or a trap, and sealing the opening so another animal cannot move in. Cleanup of droppings and insulation is a separate step. Baltimore Pest Control answers calls 24/7, schedules same-day visits when a technician is free and confirms the price first.
A scratching sound in the ceiling at dawn usually means squirrels, and a heavy thump and shuffle at night more often means a raccoon. Either way, an animal in an attic is rarely there by accident. Something let it in: a rotted fascia board, a loose roof vent, a chimney with no cap or a gap where a roofline meets a dormer.
Baltimore's detached houses with large trees, wood trim and chimneys, such as many in Roland Park, Govans and Towson, are well suited to these animals, and attached rowhouses can be reached from tree limbs, rear additions and shared rooflines. This page covers how removal works, why sealing matters more than catching, and what to do about the mess left behind. If the noise is coming from low in the walls or a cellar, it may be rodents instead, and our mouse control and rat control pages cover those.
Never try to handle, corner or feed a raccoon or squirrel, and do not seal an opening until you are sure no animal or young is inside. Raccoons can carry diseases such as rabies, so if you or a pet is bitten or scratched, wash the wound and call a doctor or veterinarian right away.
No Baltimore price range for squirrel or raccoon work has been sourced, so none is printed here. What moves the quote is below, and the technician confirms the price on site before starting.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection of the roofline and attic | Confirmed on site | roof height, attic access and how many sides of the house have problem areas |
| Animal removal | Confirmed on site | number of visits needed, and whether young are present |
| Sealing entry points | Confirmed on site | number of openings, materials needed and ladder access on a tall roofline |
| Chimney cap and vent screens | Confirmed on site | size and style of each opening, and whether a custom fit is needed |
| Droppings and insulation cleanup | Confirmed on site | how much of the attic is contaminated; often priced separately from removal |
Estimates are confirmed on site for Baltimore City in 2026. Your exact price is explained before any work starts.
Gray squirrels nest in attics and wall voids, chew wiring and wood, and can get in through holes the size of a tennis ball. Exclusion with one-way doors followed by sealing is the most common approach, and it usually takes more than one visit.
Raccoons are stronger and can tear soffits, lift loose shingles and use an open chimney. They often need a larger, sturdier repair and sometimes trapping rather than one-way doors. Raccoons can carry diseases, so do not handle one or its droppings.
A fitted chimney cap, vent screens and repaired fascia stop animals before they move in. This is often the best choice if you have not had a problem yet or if you had one and want to avoid a second visit.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Squirrels tend to be active in daylight, with quick scampering and scratching at dawn and dusk. Raccoons are mostly nocturnal, heavy and loud, and often travel through a chimney or torn soffit. Mice and rats sound lighter and move inside walls. A technician confirms by looking at the entry point and droppings.
Sound is a useful clue but not proof. A flying squirrel, a bat or a stray cat can all produce noises that people describe as squirrels. Droppings differ too: squirrel droppings are small and oval, raccoons leave larger piles in latrine spots, and rodent droppings are small and pointed.
If you cannot tell, take a photo from a safe distance and describe what you hear and when. The answer changes the plan, because an animal that is in the attic is not always the one that caused the damage.
Trapping removes one animal, but the opening stays and the next one can move in. Sealing with durable materials after removal is what actually ends the problem. Without it, you can pay to remove animals repeatedly from the same hole. A good plan ties removal and sealing together, even when they happen on different visits.
Squirrels and raccoons are strong chewers and diggers. Foam, tape and thin screening do not hold them for long. Heavy gauge mesh, metal flashing and properly fastened caps do, though even these depend on installation.
A technician also looks for secondary openings. Animals often use more than one route, so closing only the one you can see leaves a back door open. The inspection and the sealing plan are where most of the work lies.
Do not seal the entrance. Separating a mother from her young is cruel, causes dead animals in the wall and brings odor and flies. The technician looks for signs of a nest first and may remove the young with the mother or wait until they can leave. Tell us on the call if you hear squeaking.
Squirrels and raccoons often raise young in attics in spring and again in late summer, but timing varies. If you hear high-pitched chirping or squeaking, say so when you call.
The plan may combine a one-way door with a retrieval of the young, or a short wait until they are mobile. A technician should walk you through the approach before starting and explain any limits on what is possible.
Do not sweep or vacuum droppings yourself. Dry droppings can carry disease organisms and release dust into the air. Contaminated insulation, nesting material and urine-stained areas may need removal and treatment. Ask the technician whether cleanup is included in the quote or a separate service, and what protective gear is used.
Raccoon latrines in particular can hold roundworm eggs, so they should be handled with protective equipment. Insulation that has been soaked with urine loses its value and keeps smelling.
Cleanup is often a separate step from removal, and you may want to wait until the animals are gone and the openings sealed. That way you are not paying to clean a space that is still being used.
A technician checks the roof, fascia, soffit, vents, chimney and every place a limb or wire touches the house, then looks in the attic for droppings, nests and damage.
The right method depends on the species and whether young may be present. A technician looks for signs of a nest or babies before choosing between exclusion devices and traps.
A one-way door at the main opening lets the animal leave but not return, or a live trap is set where it is the safer option. Any young are handled according to the situation, and the plan is explained before it starts.
Once the animal is out, every opening is closed with materials animals cannot chew through, such as heavy metal mesh, flashing and fitted chimney caps. A quick patch with foam or tape is not a lasting repair.
The technician explains what to do about droppings and soiled insulation, and what a separate cleanup visit would involve. You are told the price before any work starts.
Detached houses with wood trim, large trees and chimneys are the classic setting for squirrel and raccoon entry. In areas like Roland Park, Govans, Mount Washington and Towson, it is common to see tree limbs touching rooflines, old chimneys without caps and fascia boards that have been damp for years. The same blocks often back onto parks or stream valleys, which gives animals a corridor to travel.
Attached rowhouses are not immune. Squirrels use utility lines, tree limbs and rear additions to reach flat roofs and cornices, and raccoons can climb a rear porch or a downspout to a roofline. Because rowhouses share rooflines, an opening in one cornice can lead along the block to a neighbour's attic. Talk to neighbours if you hear an animal moving along the shared space.
Old brick chimneys with cracked crowns or missing caps are worth special attention. A chimney can funnel an animal straight into a fireplace or flue, and a repair that looks small from the street may need a mason as well as a technician. Tell us on the phone what kind of chimney you have, and whether it is in use.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Mouse trapping, monitoring and sealing for rowhouse walls, kitchens and cellars across Baltimore and nearby suburbs.
Norway rat inspection, trapping, baiting and sealing for Baltimore alleys, cellars, rowhouse walls and yards.
Sealing party-wall gaps, cellar entries, rooflines and pipe chases so pests stay out of attached Baltimore houses.
Squirrels are strong chewers and often enlarge an existing gap, such as a rotted fascia board, a loose roof vent or a damaged soffit. They can climb a tree limb, a power line or a downspout to reach the roof, so the entry point is not always the first place you would look.
The goal is to let the animal leave without harm, usually through a one-way door, or to use a live trap where that is safer. How the animal is handled depends on the species, the season and local rules, so ask the technician to explain the plan before the visit starts.
They can, especially if the entry point is not properly sealed or if a female was raising young there. Closing the entry with durable materials, capping the chimney and securing trash all reduce the chance that another raccoon takes the same route.
Chewed wiring is a fire risk, and animals often chew in attics, so it is worth asking an electrician to look at any wiring that shows damage. A technician can point out chewed areas during the inspection but does not repair electrical work.
That depends on your policy and the type of damage, and we cannot say what yours covers. Photos of damage and a written description from the technician may help if you decide to ask your insurer. Check the policy wording before assuming either way.
A single noise can be a limb, wind or a bird on the roof. If you hear the sound again at the same time of day, or find droppings or damage, it is worth a call. Early action is usually less work than waiting until insulation and wiring are damaged.