Around California
Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.
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Local snake information
Snake control in California
Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.
Snakes in California: what to know
What to note
Where you see snakes, 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
Snakes in California: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which snakes 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.
Two-snake bag limit; red diamond rattlesnake may not be taken or killed
Take limit on private land
No license needed for most species on private land.
UC IPMReflex bites possible an hour or more after death
Post-mortem envenomation
Handle dead snakes with tools.
UC IPMSnake species recorded in California
- Western rattlesnake / Southern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus / C. helleri) — Two of California's nine rattlesnake species; the only venomous snakes of the Pacific Northwest.
- Western diamond-backed rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) — Southwest deserts; one of California's nine.
- Mohave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) — Highly potent venom; Mojave and Sonoran deserts.
- Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) — Sandy desert species.
When snakes are busiest in California
Spring through fall; desert species shift to night activity in summer heat.
Rattlesnakes are the only venomous snakes in California.
Rules that apply in California
For context, nationally
Sources: Pest Notes: Rattlesnakes; CDC/NIOSH. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Explore California cities
Anaheim
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Bakersfield
Semi-Arid · urban setting
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Chula Vista
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Fremont
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Fresno
Semi-Arid · urban setting
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Glendale
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Huntington Beach
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Irvine
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Long Beach
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Los Angeles
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Modesto
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Moreno Valley
Semi-Arid · suburban setting
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Oakland
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Ontario
Semi-Arid · urban setting
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Oxnard
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Rancho Cucamonga
Semi-Arid · suburban setting
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Riverside
Semi-Arid · urban setting
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Sacramento
Mediterranean · urban setting
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San Bernardino
Semi-Arid · urban setting
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San Diego
Mediterranean · urban setting
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San Francisco
Mediterranean · urban setting
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San Jose
Mediterranean · urban setting
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San Mateo
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Santa Ana
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Santa Clarita
Semi-Arid · suburban setting
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Santa Rosa
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Stockton
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Sunnyvale
Mediterranean · urban setting
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Fontana
Hot-Summer Mediterranean · urban setting
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