1. Keep Your Garage Door Closed at All Times
Dark, quiet garages make great places for raccoons to build dens. Garages also serve as good entry points to your house, so if you want to keep the furry animals out of your home, it is best to deny them access to your garage. The easiest way to accomplish this is by keeping your garage door closed at all times. If the doors are never open, raccoons can never get in. If it isn't feasible to keep your garage door closed indefinitely, try to make sure it stays closed at night. Raccoons are nocturnal so they are most active after the sun goes down, and being selective about when you keep your garage open can make it less likely for a raccoon to take up residence.2. Install a Light Fixture
Because raccoons are most active at night, it's no surprise that they don't like bright lights and avoid them as much as possible. You can deter raccoons from your garage by installing extra light fixtures around the space. Keep them on at times when raccoons tend to be foraging for food.3. Seal Possible Entry Holes
Raccoons can squeeze through any tiny hole, so it's important to close any space that could give the creatures access to your house. Newspaper is sometimes sufficient, but you may need to caulk or patch holes if the raccoons can still get through the paper.Know the Laws That Protect Raccoons
Raccoons are not typically a protected species in Wisconsin. However, it is considered unethical to kill a female raccoon during mating season. Raccoons may hide in their dens without eating for much of the winter but don't hibernate in the traditional sense. You won't be in trouble with the law if you hurt a raccoon while trying to get it out of your home, but harming the creatures is often frowned upon. It's best to trust an expert for raccoon removal.