Getting rid of chipmunk holes takes a combination of filling the burrows, removing or trapping the chipmunks using them, and making the area less inviting so new ones don’t move in. A single chipmunk burrow can stretch up to 30 feet long and 3 feet deep, with multiple chambers for nesting and food storage, so simply packing dirt into the entrance rarely solves the problem on its own.
Identifying Chipmunk Holes
Chipmunk entrances are about two inches in diameter, roughly the size of a silver dollar, and notably clean. Unlike woodchuck dens, which have a mound of excavated dirt in front of them, chipmunk holes have no soil pile at the entrance. The animals carry dirt away in their cheek pouches, which makes burrows easy to miss, especially near foundations where wood piles, debris, or ground cover plants provide extra concealment.
If you’re not sure what dug the hole, size and context help narrow it down. Norway rat holes are similar in width (two to three inches) but look worn smooth from repeated traffic. Vole holes are much smaller, roughly dime-sized, and usually cluster near plant roots. Skunk holes are shallow, irregular digs made while hunting grubs. Chipmunks are active during the day, so watching the hole for 15 to 20 minutes in the morning is often the fastest way to confirm the culprit.
Why Chipmunk Burrows Cause Real Damage
A 30-foot tunnel network running three feet underground isn’t just a cosmetic problem. Chipmunk burrows that run alongside or beneath foundations, patios, stairs, and driveways can undermine the soil supporting those structures. Over time, the voids left behind cause settling, cracking, and shifting. The damage is particularly hard to spot early because chipmunks prefer to dig near structures that already have cover, like stacked firewood against a house wall or dense plantings along a patio edge.
How to Fill Existing Holes
Once you’ve confirmed the burrow is no longer active (no fresh digging, no chipmunks entering or exiting over several days), filling the entrance with soil is the straightforward fix. Pack the soil firmly into the opening. If the ground above the tunnel settles in the following days or weeks, add more soil to bring the depression level with the surrounding yard. For larger areas with multiple collapsed tunnels, rolling the ground flat with a lawn roller and then top-dressing with soil works well.
The key caveat: filling holes while chipmunks are still living in them accomplishes almost nothing. They will dig new exits quickly. You need to address the animals first through trapping, exclusion, or deterrents before permanent repairs will hold.
Trapping Chipmunks Effectively
Trapping is the most practical way to remove chipmunks from a home landscape. Live-catch wire mesh traps are widely available at hardware stores, and common rat snap traps also work. Good bait options include peanut butter, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and nutmeats.
Placement matters more than bait choice. Set traps directly along the pathways chipmunks use regularly, near burrow entrances or along fence lines and foundation edges. Make sure the trap sits on flat, stable ground. If it wobbles when the chipmunk steps inside, the movement can trigger the mechanism early and scare the animal away without catching it.
A prebaiting period dramatically improves your success rate. Wire the trap doors open for two to three days and let the chipmunks feed freely on the bait inside. Once they’re comfortably entering and eating, set the trap. This conditioning step turns a suspicious metal box into a familiar food source.
Legal Rules for Trapping and Relocation
Wildlife laws vary by state, and some of them may surprise you. In New York, for example, it is illegal to trap a wild animal on your property and release it somewhere else, whether that’s a park, state land, or a neighbor’s yard. Relocation spreads diseases like rabies and Lyme, stresses the animal, and creates problems for other properties. If you trap a chipmunk and can’t release it on your own land, you may need to contact a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator. Check your state’s wildlife agency website before setting traps so you know what’s allowed.
Natural and Chemical Deterrents
Deterrents won’t eliminate an established population, but they can discourage chipmunks from using specific areas or keep new ones from moving into freshly filled burrows.
- Cayenne pepper: Capsaicin irritates a chipmunk’s nose and paws. Sprinkle the powder directly on soil around burrow entrances or mix it with water and a drop of dish soap for a spray. Reapply after rain.
- Peppermint oil: Soak cotton balls in pure peppermint essential oil and place them at burrow openings or along foundations. Rodents strongly dislike the scent.
- Castor oil soil soak: Mix a quarter cup of castor oil with two tablespoons of liquid dish soap and one gallon of warm water. Pour it into and around active holes with a watering can, working outward from your foundation. The oil makes the soil unpleasant for burrowing.
- Crushed garlic: Crush fresh cloves and tuck them into burrow entrances or garden beds.
- Predator urine: Fox or coyote urine products, sold at many garden centers, trigger a chipmunk’s instinct to flee the area. These tend to be the most effective scent deterrent because they mimic an actual threat rather than just an unpleasant smell.
Coffee grounds scattered around garden beds and apple cider vinegar soaked into rags near burrow openings are lower-intensity options that some homeowners report success with. All scent-based deterrents fade over time and need reapplication every few days, or sooner after heavy rain.
Preventing New Burrows
The most reliable long-term prevention is physical exclusion. Quarter-inch galvanized hardware cloth buried 6 to 12 inches deep around foundations, garden beds, or patios creates an underground barrier chipmunks can’t dig through. Extend the mesh two and a half to three feet above ground to block climbing as well.
Beyond hardware cloth, reducing the habitat features chipmunks depend on makes your yard less attractive to them. Move woodpiles, rock walls, and dense ground cover away from your foundation. These provide the aboveground concealment chipmunks need to feel safe entering their burrows undetected. Keep bird feeders away from the house or switch to feeders with catch trays, since spilled seed is one of the biggest chipmunk magnets in a residential yard.
Trim back low shrubs and ground cover near structures so there’s a clear, exposed buffer zone. Chipmunks are prey animals. Open ground with no cover makes them nervous, and they’ll choose to burrow somewhere that feels safer.
Putting It All Together
The most effective approach layers several of these methods. Start by trapping or deterring the chipmunks currently using the burrows. Once the tunnels are inactive, fill the holes with packed soil and monitor for settling over the next few weeks. Then install hardware cloth barriers around vulnerable structures and clean up the habitat features that attracted chipmunks in the first place. Without sustained effort, chipmunks will recolonize the area. A yard that looked clear in spring can have new burrows by midsummer if food and cover are still available.