Around North Carolina
Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.
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Local gopher information
Gopher control in North Carolina
Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.
Gophers in North Carolina: what to know
What to note
Where you see gophers, 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
Gophers in North Carolina: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which gophers actually live in North Carolina, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
None
Pocket gophers in North Carolina
The Wildlife Resources Commission's mole guidance names the state's three burrowers as the eastern, hairy-tailed and star-nosed mole; no pocket gopher species occurs in North Carolina.
North Carolina Wildlife Resources CommissionThe star-nosed mole is listed by the state as a Species of Special Concern and cannot be removed
Protected burrower
Eastern and hairy-tailed moles are pest species; the star-nosed mole is off limits.
North Carolina Wildlife Resources CommissionUnder G.S. 113-200.2 it is lawful to use any pesticide registered by the Pesticide Board on any mole other than the star-nosed mole
Legal control
A depredation permit is needed to trap moles, but not to apply a registered pesticide; treating another person's property requires a pesticide license from the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
North Carolina Wildlife Resources CommissionWhen gophers are busiest in North Carolina
Mole activity is year-round, heaviest in moist spring and early summer soil.
No pocket gophers occur in North Carolina.
Rules that apply in North Carolina
For context, nationally
- 14 species in 3 genera (Thomomys, Geomys, Pappogeomys) — Pocket gopher species in the U.S.. Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
- 200 to 2,000 square feet — Botta's pocket gopher burrow system. UC IPM (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources)
Sources: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission; Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management; UC IPM (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources). Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
