Raccoon Legal Status In Washington State
Because legal status, trapping restrictions, and other information about raccoons change, contact your WDFW Regional Office for updates.
The raccoon is classified as both a furbearer and a game animal. A hunting or trapping license is required to hunt or trap raccoons during an open season. A property owner or the owner’s immediate family, employee, or tenant may humanly kill or trap a raccoon on that property if it is damaging crops or domestic animals. In such cases, no permit is necessary for the use of live (cage) traps. However, a special trapping permit is required for the use of all traps other than live traps. Drowning suffocating or other forms of torture are not ok. Please contact Animal Evictor before ever attempting to kill a raccoon yourself for details on how to safely and legally dispatch the animal
It is unlawful to release wildlife anywhere within the state, other than on the property where it was legally trapped, without a permit to do so. Except for bona fide public or private zoological parks, persons and entities are prohibited from importing raccoons into Washington State without a permit to do so.
The raccoon is classified as both a furbearer and a game animal. A hunting or trapping license is required to hunt or trap raccoons during an open season. A property owner or the owner’s immediate family, employee, or tenant may humanly kill or trap a raccoon on that property if it is damaging crops or domestic animals. In such cases, no permit is necessary for the use of live (cage) traps. However, a special trapping permit is required for the use of all traps other than live traps. Drowning suffocating or other forms of torture are not ok. Please contact Animal Evictor before ever attempting to kill a raccoon yourself for details on how to safely and legally dispatch the animal
It is unlawful to release wildlife anywhere within the state, other than on the property where it was legally trapped, without a permit to do so. Except for bona fide public or private zoological parks, persons and entities are prohibited from importing raccoons into Washington State without a permit to do so.
This information was provide by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Russell Link and Michael Holmquist
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