Local mole information

Mole control in California

Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.

Moles in California: what to know

Around California

Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.

What to note

Where you see moles, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.

A useful next step

Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.

Local research

Moles in California: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which moles actually live in California, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.

One litter of 3-4 young per year

Litter

One mole per tunnel system outside breeding season.

UC IPM

8 to 12 inches

Permanent tunnel depth

Set scissor, harpoon or pincer traps in deeper permanent runs.

UC IPM

Nongame mammal; property owners may control by any legal means

Legal status

Repellents, vibrating devices, flooding and grain baits lack proven effectiveness.

UC IPM

Mole species recorded in California

Broad-footed mole (Scapanus latimanus) — Southern Oregon and coastal California; California's Scapanus moles avoid the dry southeast and most of the Central Valley.
Shrew mole (Neurotrichus gibbsii) — Smallest North American mole; does not make molehills.

When moles are busiest in California

Most active after rainfall or irrigation.

Scapanus moles occupy the Sierra Nevada, Coast Range and coastal zone, not the dry southeast.

Rules that apply in California

UC IPM Moles

For context, nationally

7 — Mole species in North America. Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
Up to 150 feet — New tunnel per day. Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech)

Sources: UC IPM; Moles; Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech); Living with wildlife: Moles. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore California cities

Anaheim

Mediterranean · urban setting

Mole control in California

Moles in California: what to know

Around California

What to note

A useful next step

Moles in California: what the public record shows

Mole species recorded in California

When moles are busiest in California

Rules that apply in California

For context, nationally

Explore California cities

Anaheim

Chula Vista

Fremont

Glendale

Huntington Beach

Irvine

Long Beach

Los Angeles

Modesto

Oakland

Oxnard

Sacramento

San Diego

San Francisco

San Jose

San Mateo

Santa Ana

Santa Rosa

Stockton

Sunnyvale

Ask about mole control in California