A yard that gets raided at night — turf peeled back like carpet, a skunk smell drifting from under the deck, a trash can knocked over again — is not random bad luck. Raccoons, skunks, and opossums show up because your yard offers the three things every animal wants: food, water, and shelter. The good news is you can keep raccoons and skunks out of your yard without traps, poison, or harming animals that are mostly just doing what urban wildlife does. The fix is build-based and boring in the best way: remove the attractants, skirt the deck so nothing can den underneath, add barriers where they dig, and control the grubs that turn your lawn into a nightly buffet. This guide walks through who is doing what, how to take away the invitation, and how to handle it humanely and legally under California rules.

Know Which Critter Is Doing the Damage

Different animals leave different signs, and the right fix depends on which one you have. Correctly identifying the visitor keeps you from sealing an animal in or chasing the wrong problem.

Opossums in particular are worth tolerating where you can — an opossum yard visitor often does more good than harm by eating insects and other pests. Raccoons and skunks are the ones most likely to cause real lawn and denning damage.

Remove the Food Water and Shelter They Want

Exclusion works far better when the yard stops advertising a free meal. Removing attractants is the least expensive, highest-impact step in urban wildlife landscaping, and it makes every other fix more effective.

• Do not leave pet food or water bowls out overnight.
• Secure trash and green-waste bins with tight or locking lids.
• Pick up fallen fruit, and clean up around bird feeders that spill seed.
• Fix leaks, pooling, and other easy water sources — even standing water and drainage under a deck gives animals a reason to stay.
• Clear dense brush piles, wood stacks, and clutter that offer shelter and hiding spots.

Skirt the Deck and Seal the Gaps

A skunk under deck situation — or a raccoon denning below one — almost always traces to an open gap around the deck, shed, or porch. The single most durable fix is exclusion: closing off the space so nothing can get underneath in the first place.

• Install solid deck skirting or a buried barrier around the deck perimeter so animals cannot crawl under.
• Extend the barrier below grade or add an L-shaped footing so diggers cannot tunnel beneath it.
• Seal gaps under sheds, porches, stairs, and around foundation openings.
• Check for and close entry points before, not during, denning season.

Professionally built deck skirting and exclusion barriers handle the part DIYers most often get wrong — a skirt that looks finished but has a gap or is not buried deep enough simply becomes a new door.

NEVER SEAL IN AN ANIMAL
Before closing a deck or den, make sure nothing — especially a mother with young — is inside. In spring and early summer, dens often hold babies. Confirm the space is empty (or have a licensed wildlife professional clear it) before you seal, so you exclude animals, not trap them.

Add Dig Barriers Around Beds and Fences

If the goal is a critter proof yard, the perimeter and planting beds matter as much as the deck. Animals dig under fences, along bed edges, and into loose soil, so barriers stop the tunneling routes.

• Bury hardware cloth or a dig barrier along fence lines and bed edges where animals push under.
• Use an L-shaped footing that extends outward below grade to defeat diggers.
• Add solid hardscape edging and dig barriers where planting meets lawn, paths, or the fence.
• Keep gates tight to the ground and gaps closed.

Control Grubs to Stop Sod Damage

When you find raccoons digging lawn overnight and rolling the sod back like a rug, they are almost always hunting grubs in the soil. Skunks make smaller cone-shaped holes doing the same thing. Reduce the grubs and you remove the reason they tear up the turf.

• Address grub populations in the lawn so there is nothing worth digging for.
• Reduce overwatering — overwatering that encourages grubs also keeps the soil soft and easy to dig.
• Keep the lawn healthy and appropriately watered so it recovers and resists pests.
• Repair the damage — regrade, reseed or re-sod, and restore the damaged turf and lawn so the yard is not left torn up.

Stay Humane and Legal in California

California regulates how wildlife can be handled, and the humane, legal path is almost always exclusion and habitat modification rather than trapping. Trapping and relocating wild animals is restricted under state rules — relocation is often not permitted, and handling can create safety and legal problems — so it is not a DIY solution.

• Prioritize removing attractants and building exclusion; it is legal, humane, and durable.
• Do not use poison, which is inhumane, can poison pets and other wildlife, and does not solve the attractant problem.
• Do not handle raccoons or skunks directly; both can carry rabies and other diseases.
• For an animal already denning — or if trapping seems necessary — use a licensed wildlife control professional and follow current California Department of Fish and Wildlife requirements.
• Confirm current state and local rules before taking any action beyond exclusion and attractant removal.

Frequently Asked Urban Wildlife Yard Questions

What Is Digging Up My Lawn at Night?

If your sod is rolled back or flipped in large sections, raccoons are the usual culprit, hunting grubs beneath the turf. Small, cone-shaped holes often point to skunks doing the same thing. Both are after grubs and insects, so controlling the grub population and reducing overwatering removes the reason they dig. Repairing the turf and keeping the lawn healthy helps it recover and resist repeat damage.

How Do I Keep Skunks Out From Under My Deck?

Exclusion is the reliable answer: install solid deck skirting or a buried barrier around the perimeter so nothing can crawl or tunnel underneath, and seal gaps under sheds, porches, and stairs. Critically, confirm no animal — especially a mother with babies in spring or early summer — is under the deck before you seal it. If something is already denning, have a licensed wildlife professional clear the space first.

Do Wildlife Repellents Actually Work?

Repellents are usually a temporary, unreliable fix at best. Animals habituate to smells, sprays, and noise, especially when the yard still offers food, water, and shelter. The durable solution is to remove those attractants and build physical exclusion — deck skirting, dig barriers, and sealed gaps. Repellents may buy a little time, but they do not replace taking away the invitation.

Is It Legal to Trap Raccoons or Skunks in California?

Trapping and relocating wildlife is regulated in California, and relocation is often not permitted, so it is not a simple DIY option. The recommended approach for homeowners is humane exclusion and removing attractants. If an animal is already denning or trapping appears necessary, use a licensed wildlife control professional and follow current California Department of Fish and Wildlife rules. Avoid poison entirely, and never handle these animals directly.

Get a Yard Exclusion & Repair Consult Today

If raccoons, skunks, and opossums keep raiding your yard, the lasting fix is to design the invitation out of it. Contact BuildCal Landscape for a yard-exclusion and repair consultation or call +1 (818) 303-1570. We can build the deck skirting and exclusion barriers, install dig barriers, and repair grub-damaged turf so your Glendale or Los Angeles yard stops offering critters the food, water, and shelter they are looking for — while removal of any animal already denning is handled by a licensed wildlife professional.