Columbus, OH · Issue Report

Raccoons & wildlife in Columbus

The read computed from 676 reports · JAN 2025 – JUN 2026

Columbus logged about 700 wildlife reports in the last 18 months. That is about one of every 100 complaints filed with code enforcement. Reports are increasing, with 2026 so far running about 20% ahead of the same months last year. Wildlife reports peak in July at about twice the volume of a typical month. No neighborhood is spared, but rates run highest in Far East / Eastland. Reports come from hundreds of different addresses and no block is immune. Check the specific address, not the neighborhood average.

1 in 100
share of all reports
676 reports on file
Increasing
2026 vs same months 2025
+22% so far this year
July
peak reporting month
about 2.2× a typical month
Get it handled

Want it fixed?

Wildlife is not regular pest control. For an animal inside your home, call a licensed wildlife removal company. Code enforcement handles the building conditions that let it in.

Report it to 311 when the animal is getting in through a neglected structure, like a hole in a rental’s roof or an abandoned house next door. Include the address and where the animals get in and out.

Know the rules

What counts?

A raccoon in a tree is nature. A raccoon in your attic through a rotted soffit is a maintenance problem, and in a rental that repair is the landlord’s job.

Exclusion beats trapping. Sealing entry points after removal is what keeps the next animal out.

When it gets reported

Share of the year's reports landing in each month, corrected for how many times each month appears in the data window.
January · 3% of the year's reportsJFebruary · 4% of the year's reportsFMarch · 5% of the year's reportsMApril · 9% of the year's reportsAMay · 16% of the year's reportsMJune · 17% of the year's reportsJJuly · 19% of the year's reportsJAugust · 12% of the year's reportsASeptember · 6% of the year's reportsSOctober · 4% of the year's reportsONovember · 2% of the year's reportsNDecember · 2% of the year's reportsD

Reports peak in July at about twice the volume of a typical month. The quietest month is November. A quiet autumn does not mean the problem went away. Reporting drops citywide in cold months.

All wildlife reports by month latest month: 85
85 JAN '25 JUN '26

Where it's most reported

Neighborhoods ranked by rate, meaning each category's share of the neighborhood's reports against its citywide share, so big neighborhoods don't win just for being big. Only rates with enough reports behind them are listed.
#1Far East / Eastland1.7×70 reports

For contrast, rates run lowest in Downtown (core) among the busiest areas.

Low Moderate Severe Critical
Open the live map filtered to raccoons & wildlife →
Each dot is one report, colored by severity. The live map adds search, filters, and the Block Report.

Often reported with

What else shows up at the same addresses. Address-level comparison, so this reads as a building-quality signal, not a coincidence of one phone call.
Rats & miceAddresses with wildlife reports are about six times as likely to also have rat and mouse reports on file.→ Sewage backupsAddresses with wildlife reports are about three times as likely to also have sewage reports on file.→ Landlord & management negligenceAddresses with wildlife reports are about three times as likely to also have landlord negligence reports on file.→

What people describe

The words that come up most in these reports, from the complaint narratives. Counts are reports mentioning each phrase.
raccoons258 snakes112 rats133 possums68 skunks59 groundhogs57 squirrels52 rodents91

Common questions

How do I report raccoons and wildlife in Columbus?

For an animal inside the living space, call a licensed wildlife removal company first. Report the building condition to 311 when animals are getting in through disrepair, especially in rentals or at vacant properties. Include the address and the entry point if you can see it.

Are wildlife reports in Columbus going up?

Yes. Wildlife reports so far this year are running about 22% ahead of the same months last year.

Where are wildlife reports most common in Columbus?

Rates run highest in Far East / Eastland, comparing each neighborhood's share of reports against the citywide share. No neighborhood is entirely without them.

Looking at a specific address?

Get the full Block Report, covering what's been reported at that exact address, the same building, and chronic neighbors within a third of a mile.

Search an address →
Source & method

What counts here. Reports that describe raccoons, squirrels, opossums, skunks, bats, snakes, or groundhogs, most often in walls, attics, or crawl spaces.

Data comes from official City of Columbus code enforcement records (Accela portal + ArcGIS REST API). Reports are categorized by keyword matching on complaint narratives and city record types, so counts are reports filed, not verified conditions, and automated matching can misfile individual records. The data window covers JAN 2025 – JUN 2026, so month-of-year patterns will sharpen as full years accrue.