Is Trapping an Opossum Legal?

Need opossum removal in your hometown? We service over 500 USA locations! Click here to hire us in your town and check prices - updated for year 2020.

The remarkable influx of these critters into human domains in the suburban and urban areas is largely due to deforestation and the inadvertent depletion of their natural habitats.



If opossums gain access to your property, they tend to wreak great havoc starting from the garden and sod. The rat-tailed mammals can also cause considerable damage to your house – the attic, walls, shed, and porch; just anywhere that they are able to penetrate. Besides, they are scavengers who carry parasites that bear diseases like leptospirosis, tuberculosis, relapsing fever, tularemia and spotted fever.

Hence, the question: ‘Is it legal to trap opossums?’

Factually, it is legal to trap an opossum as long as it constitutes a nuisance on your property. It is within your rights to do so, but if they are outside of your property, you are not allowed to trap, kill or harm them in anyway as they are regarded as the government’s responsibility.

Local Regulations
If you plan to trap an opossum though, you should learn about the regulations guiding animal control in your locality. In many states in the United States, trapping must be done only with live traps. If any other trap (such as lethal trap and leg holding trap) is employed to control opossums, it must be with authorization or a license to be obtained by the trapper from relevant authorities.

There are other rules guiding the trapping of opossums and most other animals per state or county. One of them is the maximum amount of time that the animal can spend inside the trap before it is removed or released. This period is fixed at 24 hours in most areas, but you should confirm from your local animal department.

What to do with a trapped opossum is another activity that is guided by rules. Opossums must not be released into locations where they would inconvenience other people. And they should be released into locations that will auger well for their survival and well-being.

In some areas, killing of trapped opossums by euthanization is permitted. This means they can be killed in a humane chambers, where they will not suffer before dying. Otherwise they can be shot at close range.

Whichever way you choose to resolve your opossum infestation, the key word is to not get into trouble with the law over an animal that has got you irked enough as it is. Take a drive to the county’s animal department and be guided.

Go back to the Opossum Removal page.

What Should You Do With A Trapped Oppossum?


One of the standard recommended ways to get rid of nuisance opossums on your property is to trap and relocate them to an environment that is better suited for them. This is much better than killing them with poisoned bait, shooting, or using a lethal trap on them.



Relocating a trapped opossum may seem like a very honorable thing to do, but make sure that it is legal to do so in your locality. In most areas, it is illegal for untrained individuals to relocate a trapped opossum unless they have acquired a permit to do so. By law, only professional wildlife control practitioners are allowed to relocate these animals.

If it is lawful to relocate a trapped opossum in your area, then certain things are note-worthy before you start.

Firstly, the location that you plan to relocate the opossum to. This must be conducive enough to support its survival. It is safe to say that the place should be similar to their natural habitats, especially in terms of cover and food availability. Look for a woody area far away from your property.

Secondly, you should consider the impact of dropping the critter off in the place on the residents. Basically, an opossum should not be relocated to locations where it will disturb other people. An opossum can wreak havoc by littering everywhere with its droppings, making annoying and unwanted noises, eating foods meant for pets and being laden with parasites that are potentially harmful to man. So care must be taken when relocating these animals that while you are getting rid of their problems on your property, you are not causing problems for others.

A common law regarding animal trapping is that a trapped animal should not stay for more than 24 hours inside the trap. A protracted stay inside the trap may cause a lot of suffering for the animal – starvation, injury, and even death. Aggressiveness has also been associated with animals that are trapped for longer periods, and this cannot bode well for the trapper.

Go back to the Opossum Removal page.

Select Your Animal

RaccoonsRaccoon Removal Information & How-To Tips

SquirrelsSquirrel Removal Information & How-To Tips

OpossumOpossum Removal Information & How-To Tips

SkunksSkunk Removal Information & How-To Tips

RatsRat Removal Information & How-To Tips

MiceMouse Removal Information & How-To Tips

MolesMole Removal Information & How-To Tips

GroundhogGroundhog Removal Information & How-To Tips

ArmadillosArmadillo Removal Information & How-To Tips

BeaverBeaver Removal Information & How-To Tips

FoxFox Removal Information & How-To Tips

CoyotesCoyote Removal Information & How-To Tips

BirdsBird Removal Information & How-To Tips

BatsBat Removal Information & How-To Tips

SnakesSnake Removal Information & How-To Tips

DeadDead Animal Removal Information & How-To Tips

OthersOther Wildlife Species Information & How-To Tips