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Opossum Removal in Lafayette

Last reviewed September 8, 2026 against LDWF published rules and federal statute. How we research this site.

Opossums are less destructive than raccoons but they den in the same places, and they are much harder to smell out until the mess is substantial.

Lafayette specifically

This is the crawlspace animal, and Lafayette has more crawlspace than most southern cities because so much of it is still pier and beam. An opossum takes an opening that already exists, so the job is nearly always older than the animal.

Opossums in Lafayette Parish: who does what

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries is explicit that it does not remove nuisance wildlife. It permits individuals to do it for a fee. A Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator permit is issued to a person rather than a company, every individual doing the work must hold one in their own name, and getting it requires a Louisiana trapping licence, a basic hunting licence, and 80 per cent on the department's exam. The permit also lists exactly which animals may be taken, raccoon, squirrel, opossum, skunk, armadillo, beaver and nutria among them.

The Lafayette Animal Shelter and Care Center lends traps for wildlife: residents sign a loan agreement on a weekday between 8 and 5, and an officer collects the trapped animal.

For identifying an animal or damage before anyone is paid to look, the LSU AgCenter, Lafayette Parish office is at 1010 Lafayette Street, Suite 325, Lafayette, LA 70501 (office page).

What Louisiana law says about opossums

Opossums are on Louisiana’s list of nuisance quadrupeds that a licensed property owner may trap or shoot year-round in daylight without a permit when proven to be causing damage, and there is no closed season. An operator who relocates one must release it at least five miles outside any city limit, with the landowner’s written permission. All Louisiana rules →

Sources: Lafayette Consolidated Government, Animal Shelter FAQ; Louisiana Administrative Code Title 76 (wildlife and fisheries); Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Nuisance Wildlife Control and Removal. Checked October 2026.

An opossum at a broken crawlspace access door
Illustrative Opossums use holes something else made.

Signs, and why they matter

  • Shuffling or dragging sounds under a deck, shed or porch at night
  • A strong, musty animal odour near a crawlspace vent
  • Droppings and a matted den area under decking
  • Heavy faecal accumulation in crawlspaces and under decks
  • Fleas, ticks and mites carried into the structure

How removal works

Trapping and removal, then exclusion fencing dug in along the deck or shed skirt so they cannot re-enter: opossums will simply move back in if the gap stays open.

Cut-away of a one-way exclusion door fitted over an entry hole A wall in cross-section with the attic on the left and outside on the right. A hinged flap is fitted over the entry hole on the outer face. An animal pushes the flap open from inside and leaves; the flap falls shut behind it, and a stop below prevents it opening inwards, so the animal cannot get back in. INSIDE: ATTIC OR CRAWLSPACE OUTSIDE WALL STOP: IT ONLY SWINGS OUT HINGED AT THE TOP OUT: ONE WAY AND NEVER BACK IN
A one-way door lets the animal leave and not return, which is why sealing the hole is the last step, not the first.

Opossum questions

How much does opossum removal cost in Lafayette?

$250 – $500 typical, depending on access and whether young are present. After a long stay in an attic the cleanup is often the bigger bill (attic restoration).

Is there a wrong time of year to deal with opossums?

Active year-round in the Southeast. Females carry young in a pouch, so removal timing matters less than with attic-denning species.

Who handles opossums in Lafayette Parish?

The Lafayette Animal Shelter and Care Center lends traps for wildlife: residents sign a loan agreement on a weekday between 8 and 5, and an officer collects the trapped animal.

Request a quote

We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Lafayette where one is available. We are still building our list of operators here, so we cannot promise one is available or say how quickly they will respond.

We are an information and referral service, not a licensed wildlife control operator, and we may be paid for the introduction. You are never charged.

Request a quote from a licensed Louisiana operator

Tell us what is in your house. We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Lafayette where one is available. We are still building our list of operators here, so we cannot promise one is available or say how quickly they will respond.

Request a Quote