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Opossum Removal in Tuscaloosa

Last reviewed September 8, 2026 against Alabama WFF 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.

Tuscaloosa specifically

Crawlspace access panels on rental property are the usual way in. They get opened for plumbing or HVAC work, they do not always get closed, and nobody living there is checking. An opossum will not make that opening but it will certainly take it, and so will whatever follows it.

Opossums in Tuscaloosa County: who does what

Alabama’s wildlife division does not remove nuisance wildlife from private property unless public safety is at risk. It permits Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators to do it instead, and the state’s own wording is that they do so at the landowner’s or tenant’s expense. In a city where a very large share of the housing is rented, that last phrase is not academic; it is the argument that delays the job while the animal keeps chewing, so settle who is paying early.

For identifying an animal or damage before anyone is paid to look, the Alabama Cooperative Extension, Tuscaloosa County office is at 1800 McFarland Blvd E #342, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404, (205) 349-4630 (office page).

What Alabama law says about opossums

Opossums have no closed season and no bag limit in Alabama (2026-27), and a property owner or tenant may take one damaging opossum per incident without a permit under regulation 220-2-.27. A live-caught one may not be moved across a county line or a major river drainage. All Alabama rules →

Sources: Alabama WFF: opossum season; Ala. Admin. Code r. 220-2-.27 (Cornell LII); Outdoor Alabama, Nuisance Animal Control. 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 Tuscaloosa?

$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.

Request a quote

We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Tuscaloosa 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 Alabama operator

Tell us what is in your house. We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Tuscaloosa 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