Most homeowners pay somewhere in the range of a few hundred dollars to have a skunk trapped and removed from under a deck, porch or shed, and closer to $1,000 or more once you add proper exclusion work and odor cleanup. A single visit to set a trap or install a one-way door is the low end; sealing a long deck perimeter with buried wire mesh, or deodorizing a crawl space after a skunk sprayed underneath, is the high end. The price swings with how many animals are involved, how hard the den is to reach, your local wildlife laws and whether babies are present. Below are typical ranges for each part of the job, what drives the cost, and what you can safely do yourself.
In this guide
Key Takeaways
- Trapping and removal alone is usually a few hundred dollars; full exclusion plus cleanup often runs into four figures.
- Exclusion (sealing the den site) is what actually stops the problem from coming back.
- Avoid sealing dens from roughly early May to mid-August without checking for young; you can trap babies inside.
- Skunks are a major rabies carrier. Never handle one, and treat any skunk acting strangely in daylight with caution.
- Rules on trapping, relocating and euthanizing skunks vary by state, which is one reason many homeowners hire licensed wildlife pros.
Typical Skunk Removal Costs
Wildlife control companies price jobs differently. Some charge per visit plus per animal, some quote a flat package for trapping and exclusion, and some bundle a guarantee. These are typical US ranges to help you judge a quote, not fixed prices; your local market may be higher or lower.
| Service | Typical range | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection / site visit | About $75–$250 (often credited toward the job) | Find den entrances, check for young, recommend a plan |
| Live trapping and removal | About $150–$500 for the first animal | Trap setup, monitoring visits, removal of captured skunk |
| Additional animals | About $50–$150 each | Removal of extra skunks from the same den |
| One-way door installation | About $150–$400 | Door fitted over the main entrance, follow-up check |
| Exclusion of deck, porch or shed | About $300–$1,500+ | Buried wire mesh or L-footer around the perimeter, sealing gaps |
| Odor treatment / deodorizing | About $150–$600+ | Enzyme or oxidizing treatment of soil, crawl space or structure |
| Dead skunk removal | About $100–$300 | Locating, removing and disposing of a carcass, plus spot deodorizing |
| Emergency, weekend or after-hours | Often adds $50–$200 | Same-day or off-hours service |
A common real-world package for a skunk living under a deck looks like this: an inspection, a one-way door or trap on the main entrance, a follow-up visit to confirm the animal is gone, then sealing the rest of the deck skirt with buried mesh. That combination usually lands somewhere between several hundred dollars and the low four figures, depending mostly on the length of the perimeter.
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What Affects the Price
Den location and access
A skunk under a small garden shed with one obvious hole is a quick job. A den under a low deck with lattice skirting on three sides, under a concrete slab porch, or in a crawl space takes more time, more mesh and sometimes removing and reinstalling deck boards or skirting.
Number of skunks and time of year
According to New Mexico State University Extension’s guide Controlling Skunks in New Mexico, striped skunks breed from late February, females give birth in May or early June, litters commonly have 4–6 young, and the young stay with the mother until fall. Skunks may also den together in winter. A spring or summer job with a mother and litter takes more visits than removing a single male in fall. The same guide warns that sealing burrows from early May to mid-August may leave young trapped inside, leading to starvation and odor problems.
Exclusion perimeter
Exclusion is priced largely by linear foot. Pros typically trench along the deck or shed edge and install galvanized hardware cloth or welded wire, either buried straight down or bent outward in an L shape so a digging skunk hits the mesh. The NMSU guide recommends that where animals can dig under, barriers be buried 1.5 to 2 feet deep, and for fenced areas it describes burying the lowest foot of fencing with the bottom 6 inches bent outward. A 10-foot shed is a small job; a 60-foot wraparound deck is not.
Odor and cleanup
If a skunk sprayed under the house or a dog got sprayed against the foundation, odor can drift indoors through vents and the crawl space. Deodorizing soil and framing adds cost, and severe cases may involve removing contaminated insulation. A dead skunk in a wall or crawl space costs more to find than one in the yard.
Local laws and disposal
States and municipalities regulate trapping, relocation and euthanasia of skunks, partly because of rabies. Some prohibit relocating skunks at all. Licensed operators build compliance and disposal into their pricing. Check with your state wildlife agency before trapping yourself.
Guarantees
Companies that warranty their exclusion work for a year or more generally charge more upfront, but a guarantee is valuable because skunks will try to dig back into a good den site.
How Pros Remove Skunks
One-way doors (eviction)
When no young are present, many pros prefer eviction: they seal every secondary hole, fit a one-way door over the main entrance so the skunk can leave to feed but can’t get back in, then confirm the den is empty before sealing permanently. The NMSU guide describes a low-tech version of the same idea: seal all entrances except the main burrow, sprinkle flour in front of it, check after dark for tracks showing the skunk has left, then close the entrance, reopening it briefly on following nights for any stragglers before sealing it for good.
Live trapping
Box traps set near the den entrance are the other standard method. The NMSU guide notes skunks are often caught with canned fish-flavored cat food, and that a broken raw egg as bait reduces the chance of catching neighborhood cats. Traps are covered with canvas or similar material to keep the skunk calm and less likely to spray, and approached slowly and quietly. What happens to the skunk afterward depends on state law.
What doesn’t work
The NMSU guide states that there are no registered repellents or toxicants for skunks, and that repellents, where legal, are temporary at best. Mothballs, ammonia-soaked rags and predator urine get recommended online but are not a fix. Mothballs in particular are a registered pesticide, and the EPA’s pesticide labeling Q&A explains that using any pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its label is generally unlawful; mothball labels list sites like air-tight containers and storage closets, not yards or the ground under a deck. Always read and follow the label of any product you use.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
| Approach | Cost | Best for | Risks |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY prevention (remove food, seal gaps) | Low: hardware cloth, fasteners, gravel | No skunk present yet, or after a pro removes it | Sealing an animal in if you don’t confirm the den is empty |
| DIY eviction with a one-way door | Low to moderate | Single adult, fall or winter, easy access | Trapping young in spring or summer; getting sprayed |
| DIY live trapping | Moderate: trap rental or purchase | Only where legal and you know what you’ll do with the animal | Spray, rabies exposure, legal violations |
| Professional removal and exclusion | Higher | Dens under decks or homes, mothers with young, crawl space odor | Cost; vet the company’s licensing and guarantee |
Prevention is where DIY pays off. Remove what draws skunks in: pet food left outside, open trash, fallen birdseed and fruit, woodpiles and junk piles. The NMSU guide notes skunks dig for lawn grubs, leaving small cone-shaped holes, and that rodents around sheds and crawl spaces can keep attracting them, so controlling those food sources helps. Our pest control guide covers grub and rodent control in more depth.
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Odor Cleanup: What to Expect
Skunk musk is oily and persistent. For pets and clothing, the NMSU guide notes diluted vinegar or tomato juice can remove much of the odor, and clothing can be soaked in weak solutions of household chlorine bleach or ammonia (never mix bleach and ammonia). For soil and structures, pros use enzyme or oxidizing deodorizers and ventilation. If the odor is getting stronger over several days rather than fading, it often means a dead animal, which needs to be found and removed.
Rabies and Safety
The NMSU guide identifies skunks as the primary rabies carriers in the Midwest and advises caution around any skunk showing abnormal behavior, such as daytime activity and lack of wariness. Skunks normally warn before spraying by stamping their front feet and raising their tails; back away slowly and quietly. If a person or pet is bitten or scratched, contact a doctor or veterinarian and your local health department right away. Keep pets’ rabies vaccinations current.
How Skunk Removal Compares With Other Wildlife Jobs
Skunk jobs are usually ground-level, which keeps them cheaper than attic work for raccoons, squirrels or bats, but exclusion around decks can rival those costs. For comparison, see our guides to raccoon removal cost and overall wildlife removal cost. If a groundhog rather than a skunk is digging under your shed, our groundhog removal cost guide covers that job.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
- Are you licensed for nuisance wildlife control in this state, and insured?
- Does the quote include exclusion, or only trapping?
- How will you check for young before sealing?
- How many follow-up visits are included, and what happens if the skunk comes back?
- What happens to the animal after capture?
- Is deodorizing included or extra?
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to get a skunk out from under a deck?
Trapping or evicting a single skunk is typically a few hundred dollars. Adding exclusion with buried mesh around the deck so it can’t return often brings the total to several hundred to $1,500 or more, depending on the perimeter length and access.
Will animal control remove a skunk for free?
Some city or county animal control agencies will respond to a sick, injured or aggressive skunk, or one inside a living space, especially if rabies is suspected. Most don’t remove healthy skunks from under decks or sheds, which is usually left to private wildlife control companies.
How do I know if a skunk is living under my deck?
Look for a 4- to 6-inch hole with loose soil at the entrance, musky odor near the deck, small cone-shaped holes in the lawn from grub digging, and five-toed tracks. Sprinkling flour at the opening overnight shows whether an animal is coming and going.
When is the best time to remove skunks?
Late summer through winter, after young are mobile and before the next breeding season, is generally easiest. Avoid sealing dens from about early May to mid-August unless you’ve confirmed no young are inside.
Does homeowners insurance cover skunk removal?
Usually not. Most policies exclude damage from rodents, insects and wildlife considered preventable, and removal is treated as maintenance. Check your policy, especially if a skunk caused damage inside the home.
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