Snakes

This page is about snakes around a house and yard as university extension services describe them. Most of it is what those services publish about keeping snakes out; a good deal of it is about what they disagree on, and one section is about the law, which is different in every state we read.

Which Snake, and the Lookalike Problem

UC IPM: “The rattlesnake is California’s only native venomous snake. Nine species are found in various areas of the state from below sea level to about 11,000 feet.”

The identification advice runs in both directions, and both halves matter. UC IPM: “The harmless gopher snake ( Pituophis catenifer ) appears similar to rattlesnakes and can alter its posture to mimic the triangular head shape but will always lack a rattle.” And: “Because rattles can shorten or be broken off completely, the lack of a rattle does not mean the snake is not a rattlesnake.”

One sentence belongs beside any advice involving a snake that appears dead. UC IPM: “However, even after its death, a rattlesnake can still inject venom for an hour or more by reflex action. Caution, therefore, is advised when handling what appears to be a dead snake.”

And the sentence that frames the whole subject. UC IPM: “Most rattlesnake bites occur when an inexperienced person tries to pick up, move, or kill a rattlesnake.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission puts the other side of it: “Non-venomous snakes also consume venomous ones, and can help maintain ecosystem balances.” and “Venomous snakes are also beneficial; for example, some rattlesnake species have been reported to consume ticks in their native ranges.”

Bites: What the Sources Say, Including Where They Disagree

UC IPM publishes an instruction and a list of things not to do

The condition at the front of this is part of the instruction, not a preamble. UC IPM: “If you are less than one hour from the nearest emergency room, initial treatment is relatively simple: Try to calm the victim. Gently wash the area with soap and water. Apply a cold, wet cloth over the bite. Transport victim to the nearest emergency facility for further treatment. Phone ahead to notify the emergency facility that a snakebite victim is being brought in. If safe to do so, have someone photograph the snake so that identification can be made to aid in treatment.”

UC IPM: “What should NOT be done after a rattlesnake bite? Several DON’Ts are very important to remember: DON’T apply a tourniquet. DON’T pack the bite area in ice. DON’T cut the wound with a knife or razor. DON’T use your mouth to suck out the venom. DON’T let the victim drink alcohol. DON’T apply electric shock. DON’T use a snakebite kit as these do not work and can cause more damage.”

Colorado State publishes its own, attributed to a poison centre

Colorado State: “First Aid for Snake Bites What To Do: Remain calm so as not to increase circulation and thus the spread of the venom. Immediately remove anything from the body that may cause increased swelling below the bite area (i.e., rings, watch, shoes, tight clothing, etc.) Immobilize the bite area, keeping it in a neutral to below the heart position. Get to the hospital immediately. Do not wait for the pain to get severe. The use of approved antivenom is the most effective treatment for envenomation. If possible, have another person drive, and call ahead to the hospital and the poison center.”

Colorado State: “What NOT To Do: Do not use a tourniquet. Do not make an incision at the bite site. Do not suck out the venom with your mouth as this may increase the risk of infection. Do not pack the limb in ice.” Colorado State attributes its own list: “Recommended by the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center.”

Utah State publishes a third, and it is materially different

Utah State: “If bitten, clean and sterilize the wound much like you would a cut or abrasion.” “Do not apply a tourniquet to the area above the wound and do not apply a cold compress to the bite area or cut into the bite.” “If possible, call ahead to the emergency room so anti-venom can be ready when the victim arrives.”

Colorado State also publishes two statements about antivenom. They are treatment statements, they belong to clinicians, and they are named here rather than repeated as guidance: the source addresses the availability of antivenin for native pit vipers and what that means for identifying the species, and it states a position on approved antivenom as a treatment for envenomation. What treatment is appropriate, and when, is a matter for a clinician and not for this page.

The Law Changes at the State Line

A rule written for one state is not advice for another, and this page keeps them apart rather than averaging them. Four states appear below because four states are what the sources cover. No source consulted for this page addresses the other forty-six.

California

UC IPM, in a page whose text carries an update stamp of December 2014: “The nine species of rattlesnakes found in California are not considered endangered or threatened. California Department of Fish and Wildlife Code classifies rattlesnakes as native reptiles. California residents can take most rattlesnake species on private lands in any legal manner without a license or permit, although a bag limit of two still applies. Additionally, the red diamond rattlesnake ( C. ruber ) is prohibited from being taken or killed by state wildlife regulation.”

Four qualifiers sit inside that permission and none of them is decoration: most species, private lands, any legal manner, and a bag limit of two — with one species carved out of it entirely.

Colorado

Colorado State University Extension, attributing Colorado Parks and Wildlife: “According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife , it is legal to kill rattlesnakes when necessary to protect life or property, provided that the method used is in accordance with city and county ordinances.”

Colorado State: “The midget-faced rattlesnake (a subspecies of the western rattlesnake), the massasauga, and all nonpoisonous snakes are classified as nongame wildlife and are protected by state law, except as noted above.”

Pennsylvania

Penn State Extension: “All snakes in Pennsylvania are protected by Fish and Boat Commission regulations. Species that are not listed as endangered, threatened, or candidate may be captured or possessed under specific daily and possession limits.” “Endangered or threatened species such as Kirtland’s snake, eastern massasauga, and rough green snake cannot be caught, killed, possessed, imported into, or exported from Pennsylvania.” “The timber rattlesnake is protected under additional regulations and permits regarding seasons and possession limits.”

Florida

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: “Some snakes, such as the Eastern indigo snake, are designated as endangered or threatened species and are protected.”

One source generalises beyond a single state, and it is quoted with its own name and its own hedge attached. The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management states: “Snakes are considered nongame wildlife and are protected by law in most states, unless they are about to cause damage to persons or property.” That is a wildlife-damage clearinghouse’s summary, not a statute, it says most states rather than all, and it carries an exception clause. It is given here as ICWDM’s statement and is not adopted as ours.

Habitat: Where Every Source Starts

Before any fence or any product, every source consulted for this page starts in the same place: what the snake is there for. UC IPM puts the animal in context first — “They can reduce the number of disease carrying rodents and other pest species.” and “In general, they should be left alone, whenever possible, especially in wildland areas. Nonvenomous snakes should also be left alone wherever found.”

Penn State states the mechanism plainly: “Removing the food supply and closing the entrances the rodents and snakes have been using usually solves the snake problem.” Nothing in that sentence is a product, and this page names none for it.

The Snake-Proof Fence, and a Four-Way Disagreement

Four sources specify a snake-proof fence. They agree on one figure out of four.

Colorado State: “In rattlesnake-infested areas, construct a snake-proof fence around the backyard or play area. Use 36-inch high galvanized hardware cloth with a 1/4-inch mesh and bury it 6 inches deep, slanted outward at a 30-degree angle. Make certain the gate fits tightly and swings into the play area. Keep all vegetation away from the fence to prevent snakes from climbing over it.”

Penn State: “The fence should be made of heavy galvanized hardware cloth, 36 inches wide with a ¼-inch mesh. The lower edge should be buried 6 inches in the ground, and the fence should be slanted outward from the bottom to the top at a 30-degree angle. Place supporting stakes inside the fence and make sure any gates are fitted tightly. Gates should be hinged to swing inward because of the slope of the fence.”

ICWDM: “A snake-proof fence should be made of heavy galvanized ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth that is 36 inches tall. Bury the lower edge 4 to 6 inches in the ground. The fence should be slanted outward from the bottom to the top at a 30 o angle.”

UF/IFAS, which departs from the other three on three of the four figures: “Fencing of aluminum flashing, hardware cloth (1/4"), or silt fencing 2–3 feet high buried 6 inches in the ground should deter most snakes from gaining access to certain areas of your yard (Figure 7).”

And the same four sources disagree about whether it works

ICWDM: “A properly constructed, snake-proof fence will keep out all venomous snakes and most non-venomous snakes (some non-venomous snakes are good climbers).”

UF/IFAS, in the caption to its own figure: “Snake fences, such as this one made of silt fencing, can prevent some snakes from entering your yard when used correctly, but can be costly and time consuming to install and do not prevent all species of snakes from entering. Such measures should only be used as a last resort.”

UC IPM sits between them: “Snakes can be excluded from an area by installing a snake-proof fence. While expensive, fences are often necessary for children’s play areas.” It adds a maintenance instruction: “If you have a snake-proof fence, be sure to check its integrity prior to the time when snakes become active in the late winter or early spring.”

One source says such a fence keeps out all venomous snakes. Another says it should only be used as a last resort. Both are extension-grade sources and this page renders both.

The three rolls below are in no order of preference and none is called better than another, because no source consulted for this page compares one product against another.

Sealing Openings: a Different Mesh Entirely

Colorado State, whole: “To prevent snakes from entering basements and crawl spaces, seal all openings 1/4 inch or larger with mortar, caulking compound, expanding foam, or 1/8-inch hardware cloth. Check for holes or cracks around doors, windows, water pipes, electrical lines, etc.”

ICWDM: “Holes in wooden buildings can be sealed with sheet metal, Copper Stuf-Fit, Xcluder™, or ⅛-inch mesh hardware cloth.”

Mesh for covering an opening

Sealant for a gap too narrow to mesh over

Colorado State names “mortar, caulking compound, expanding foam” alongside the mesh. Both products below are already named on other pages of this site for the same physical job; what is new here is the reason, which is Colorado State’s sentence rather than anything about the products.

What the Sources Say Does Not Work

Repellents: five sources say no, and one lists them without saying

UC IPM: “Over the years various home remedies have been suggested to repel snakes, such as placing a horsehair rope around your sleeping bag, sprinkling sulfur dust, or scattering mothballs around the area to be protected. Unfortunately, none of these remedies work. Despite what you may hear, there are no plants that repel snakes. Currently, several commercially available chemical snake repellents are on the market, but none of them have been proven to work well enough to warrant recommendation.”

UF/IFAS: “Attempting to completely exclude snakes from your yard with fencing is possible, but would be rather time consuming and expensive, and advertised ‘snake repellents’ simply do not work.”

Utah State: “Do not use snake repellents or sulfur, as they are ineffective.”

Colorado State, with the trial record: “Dr. T’s Snake-A-Way (7 percent naphthalene and 28 percent sulfur), a commercial snake repellent, was not successful in repelling gopher snakes (Marsh 1993), western rattlesnakes (Marsh 1993), brown tree snakes (McCoid et al. 1993), and plains garter snakes” and “Napthalene and sulfur used individually were also not effective in repelling plains garter snakes (Ferraro 1995).”

Penn State is the mildest of the five: “A repellent, Snake-A-Way, is registered for use against snakes in Pennsylvania, but test results have not been conclusive as to its effectiveness.”

And ICWDM does not join them. It lists the class without a verdict: “Several repellents for the control of snakes are on the market.” Five sources say it does not work and the sixth reports it exists. That difference is rendered here rather than averaged away. Nothing in this class is named on this page.

Mothballs carry a legal claim as well as an efficacy one

UGA Extension: “Some repellents, like mothballs, may be offensive to an animal but it is illegal to use them outdoors and using them in attics or crawl spaces can be harmful to humans and pets. This product is a pesticide and should not be used to repel bats or snakes from a home.”

Utah State: “Do not use mothballs because the active ingredient is naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene – chemicals that are toxic to insects and mammals, but are not effective against snakes. Using mothballs outside your home also violates product labels and puts your family and pets at risk.”

Those are two different claims and they are given as two. UGA states it is illegal; Utah State states it violates product labels. Both are extension services stating a position about the law, and both are attributed rather than adopted. This page does not tell you what the law is.

Glue boards: two sources describe them, two oppose them

ICWDM: “Glueboards are useful for trapping snakes outside, inside, and under buildings.” Colorado State: “Glue boards or glue trays are effective to remove snakes from buildings (Knight 1986).”

UF/IFAS: “We do not advocate using commercially available glue traps, as they are often not a humane way to capture snakes and snakes frequently must be handled to remove them from the trap.” Utah State: “Do not use sticky traps outside. Traps placed outside capture all sorts of non-target animals and result in a slow, agonizing death.”

Nothing in this class is named on this page, and the reason is a stated hazard to animals other than the target rather than a doubt about whether the boards work. Utah State’s sentence is about what happens to whatever else walks onto one. Two sources describe the method and two oppose it; that disagreement is set out above and is not settled here.

Two more classes that card nothing, for two more reasons

The funnel trap and drift fence. ICWDM describes one: “Catch snakes with a funnel trap and drift fences constructed of ¼- or ½-inch mesh hardware cloth erected 2 feet high and 25 feet long.” That is a description of something a reader builds out of materials, not of a product sold as one, so there is nothing to name.

Snake tongs. ICWDM mentions them once, in passing, when describing what to do with a captured venomous snake. No source consulted for this page states a length, a jaw, a mechanism or any other specification for them. A class with no published criterion has nothing a product could be measured against, so nothing is named.

Who to Contact

Penn State: “You can contact local wildlife pest control operators to remove snakes and other nuisance wildlife.” For regulatory questions the same source names its state authority: “Specific questions about current regulations can be directed to any of the Fish and Boat Commission’s regional law enforcement offices or the herpetology and endangered species coordinator.”

UF/IFAS points Florida readers at their state agency’s own list: “To find a licensed wildlife removal specialist in your area, visit the nuisance wildlife permit website maintained by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission”. Those are the destinations the sources name, in their own terms. No source consulted for this page publishes an equivalent lookup for any other state, so none is offered here.

Sources

Every factual statement on this page traces to one of the ten publications below. Where a source carries its own date, that date is given, and where a statement depends on it the date is repeated in the sentence itself.

1. UC Statewide IPM Program. Pest Notes: Rattlesnakes, Publication 74119 — the source of the California legal statements, the identification and lookalike material, the first-aid instructions and DON’T list, the repellent position and the exclusion material. Published 25 January 2022; text carries an update stamp of 12/2014; read 27 August 2026. https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74119.html
2. Colorado State University Extension. Coping With Snakes — the source of the Colorado legal statements, one full fence specification, the sealing sentence, the repellent trial record and one set of first-aid instructions. Undated on the page; its references run to 1995; read 27 August 2026. https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/coping-with-snakes/
3. Penn State Extension. Snakes — the source of the Pennsylvania legal statements and one full fence specification. Undated on the page; read 27 August 2026. https://extension.psu.edu/snakes
4. UF/IFAS Extension. Dealing with Snakes in Florida’s Residential Areas — Preventing Encounters, WEC221/UW260 — the source of the fourth fence specification, the last-resort caveat, the repellent statement and the glue-trap position. Undated on the page; read 27 August 2026. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw260
5. Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management. Snake Damage Prevention and Control Methods — the source of the third fence specification, the sealing materials, the funnel trap and drift fence description, the glue board description and the snake tongs mention. Undated; read 27 August 2026. https://icwdm.org/species/reptiles/snakes/snake-damage-prevention-and-control-methods/
6. Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management. Snakes, species landing page — the source of the cross-state protection statement. Undated; read 27 August 2026. https://icwdm.org/species/reptiles/snakes/
7. Utah State University Extension. 12 Ways to Stop Snakes From Slithering Into Yards — the source of the mothball and sticky-trap statements. Undated on the page; read 27 August 2026. https://extension.usu.edu/news_sections/gardening/12-ways-to-stop-snakes-from-slithering-into-yards
8. Utah State University Extension. Snake-Wise Safety Tips — the source of the third set of first-aid instructions. Archived page, undated; read 27 August 2026. https://extension.usu.edu/archive/snake_wise-safety-tips
9. University of Georgia Extension (Michel Kohl). Repellents and Wildlife Damage Control, C1021 — the source of the mothball legality statement. Undated on the page; read 27 August 2026. https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1021
10. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Living with Snakes — the source of the Florida protected-species statement. Undated on the page; read 27 August 2026. https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/snakes/