Do you have a snake on your property, in your home, or in a public recreation area? 

Despite common fears, snakes in NJ are generally quite harmless and can even be beneficial to have around, as they feed on rodents and invertebrates. Like most wildlife, they do their best to avoid people. This page contains info about our state’s diverse snake species and their behaviors, tips to discourage snakes if you’re uncomfortable with them being in certain places, and getting help to relocate a venomous snake if found on your property.

Please know that all of New Jersey’s native wildlife (including snakes) are protected under the NJ Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act (N.J.S.A. 23:2A et seq.); making it illegal to kill, harm, harass or collect any individual or their parts (e.g., eggshells, snake skins, rattles, etc.).

Who’s Who? Identifying Snakes

Snake identification is difficult for most people, and 9 out of 10 snakes reported as “venomous” to NJ Fish & Wildlife are actually non-venomous species that pose no safety threat.

When attempting to identify snakes, remember:

• Color is highly variable within and among species. Focus instead on the pattern, as that is unique to individual species. 
  • Snakes of NJ (pdf, 231kb)
  • Snake ID at a Glance – Southern NJ (pdf, 2mb)
  • Snake ID at a Glance – Northern and Central NJ (pdf, 2mb)
  • Snake Identification: Avoid being Confused! (pdf, 4mb)

• Hearing a rattle?  Maybe not… Many of our snakes perform mimicry, where they shake their tails rapidly against their surroundings (grass, twigs, stone, etc.), creating a rattle-like noise to intimidate predators. 

• Venomous snakes do NOT inhabit all of New Jersey. Please see the maps in the following links: 
  • Timber Rattlesnake 
  • Eastern (formerly Northern) Copperhead  

Snake is in your HOME?

If a snake has found its way into your home and you do NOT know if it is a rattlesnake or copperhead, please contact your local Animal Control Officer (often reachable through your local police department) or a private wildlife control company to catch and relocate the snake outdoors. 

If you believe the snake is a rattlesnake or copperhead, please take a photograph prior to contacting us. The photograph does not have to be of the entire snake, it simply needs to be a clear photograph so we can enlarge it for a closer look if needed. Then call the DEP Hotline at 1-877-WARN DEP (1-877-027-6337) and request assistance. 

Please note, NJ Fish & Wildlife biologists do not remove snakes from homes unless we confirm it is venomous. 

Snake is on your PROPERTY or in a PUBLIC RECREATION AREA?

Non-venomous snake: If a non-venomous snake is on your property, it is best to give it some time to move off on its own. It is not “living” on your property. Your property is part of a much larger home range. Non-venomous snakes pose no safety threat but of course, they will defend themselves if threatened or harassed. If you absolutely cannot wait for the snake to leave, please contact your local animal control officer (often available through your local police department) or a private wildlife control company to move the snake a short distance away. NJ Fish & Wildlife biologists do not remove or condone the removal of non-venomous snakes from properties as they pose no safety threat, and improper relocation of a snake (i.e., moving them out of their home range) can lead to their death. 

Venomous snake: If a venomous snake is on your property: 

• From a safe distance, take a photograph so that we can confirm the snake’s identification. It does NOT have to be a close-up (you can be 30-ft away as long as it’s a clear image) and you do NOT need to photograph the entire snake, just enough for us to see its pattern. 

• Call the DEP Hotline at 1-877-WARN DEP (1-877-927-6337) and request assistance.  

• The dispatchers will contact a biologist from Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program to assist you. 

• Once we confirm the snake is a venomous snake, we will dispatch a member of our Venomous Snake Response Team to assist you. 

• While you await assistance, please keep an eye on the snake – from a safe distance – so that you can direct the responder to the snake’s location. 

Uncertain of snake’s identification: If you are unable to identify the snake and live within venomous snake territory (see links to activity ranges in Who’s Who? above), please treat it as a possible venomous snake and follow the instructions above.

Why are snakes on your property?

Simply put…your land is their land.  A snake may temporarily use your property as a travel corridor, or if the conditions are suitable, for basking, shedding, or hunting rodents or other small prey.  Much like humans know familiar areas without the need for maps or GPS, snakes know their homes.  It’s unlikely for a snake to live on any one property unless that property is very large and the snake is very young or small.  Snakes are sensitive to disturbance and to larger animals, so they do their best to avoid people and pets.  

Your property is likely part of the home range of multiple individual snakes of varying species.   In rare cases, egg-laying snakes may nest on private lands, and live-bearing non-venomous snakes may give birth on private lands. Note, venomous snakes of northern New Jersey give birth at higher elevations. Timber rattlesnakes within the Pine Barrens could have their young on private lands if suitable conditions exist.

Property management

Snakes are creatures of habit, returning to the same areas annually to find food and shelter.  While there is little you can do to stop snakes from traveling through your property to get from “point A” to “point B,” you can take steps to minimize the chance of them lingering or spending extended periods on your property, if you wish. 

Things you can do to discourage snakes: 

• Keep the lawn mowed short. Tall grass attracts rodents which attracts their predators (snakes). In addition, tall grass provides cover for the snakes. Short lawns make them feel vulnerable and want to leave.  Additionally, a short law will give you a clear line of sight to easily scan your yard for their presence. 

• Clear away “shelters”: 

• Remove or raise potential “shelters” off the ground by a minimum of 8”.  For example, tarps, planters, wood, excess stone piles, mulch piles, debris piles, etc. are common shelter areas that not only provide cover from predators but can serve as a shedding station (a warm, humid, sheltered area where snakes shed their skin). Shedding takes two weeks and during this time, the snakes can’t see very well, so they feel more threatened.  While initially they will attempt to escape a potential predator (i.e., you), if they feel escape isn’t possible, they will be quicker to strike rather than wait for you to leave. If you have a firewood stack, raise the stack at least 12” off the ground to ensure ample air flow. For instance, use long pieces of wood parallel to each other (or even cinder blocks lined up) and stack the firewood on top of them.  

• Fill crevices along walkways, stone/concrete steps, and paving stones.  Crevices can provide temporary shelters for snakes, and rodent-dug spaces under paving stones create perfect shedding stations. Fill these spaces with a mixture of soil and pea gravel (so rodents struggle to re-excavate) during the winter months (Nov. 1 – March 15) to avoid interactions with and/or entombing snakes. 

• Fill crevices within your landscape rock walls.  These crevices may have been created during construction and/or over time or by rodents or rain. Not every crevice is “suitable snake habitat;” snakes have very specific parameters.  Look for flattish-shaped rocks (up to about 18” thick) with tight crevices (less than 2” high) that go deep (i.e., more than 12” into the wall and even into earth). These areas create the BEST shedding stations, basking areas, and gestation sites for gravid (pregnant) females who give birth to live young, such as our venomous snakes. (Although venomous snakes in the north will birth higher up on the mountains from mid-August to early September, females may gestate/incubate in other suitable spots until it’s time to move to the birthing area.)  FILL with soil/pea gravel mixture during winter (Nov. 1 – March 15) to avoid interactions with and/or entombing snakes.  You don’t need to fill crevices completely, just enough so there’s only about a 2” ledge/crevice…this will be unusable for extended stays. 

• Restrict access to the A/C unit. Believe it or not, that little space underneath your air conditioning unit creates a lovely, warm, humid environment for smaller snakes (smaller in girth, not necessarily length). IF there is a space below or behind the unit, fence it in with 1/4” hardware cloth with an “L-shaped” lip at the bottom. The hardware cloth (fence material) can be any height if you’re just sealing the area around the base of the unit.  However, if there’s space between the unit and your home that also gets warm and humid, you may want to fence that off as well using hardware cloth at least 3-ft high with the “L-shaped” lip.  

• Seal your outdoor buildings, they make wonderful shedding stations. Look for access points such as a gap at the base of the door (install a rubber flap or bristle brush), holes in the foundation or siding (fill or block), etc. Complete this work Nov. 1 – March 15 to avoid interactions with and/or trapping snakes inside the building.  

• Seal the lattice under your deck. Decks that are less than approximately 12” high are low enough to create a warm, humid environment for snakes to shed their skins.  If you’re not comfortable with this, we recommend you install screening material over (or behind) the lattice work during the winter (Nov. 1 – March 15), embedding it in the soil 5-6” to prevent rodents from digging access holes. This screening or ¼” hardware cloth will prevent snakes from accessing the area. 

• Eliminate mulch and compost piles.  Areas of composting material generate heat which attracts basking snakes.  In addition, compost piles attract rodents (food and cover) which attract snakes. 

• No bird feeders spring through fall (April 1 – Oct. 31).  Bird feeders attract rodents which attract snakes. 

• Use a cedar mulch buffer around high-use areas. Although not scientifically proven, the Endangered & Nongame Species Program’s snake biologist has anecdotal evidence that cedar mulch (i.e., the very aromatic, hamster-cage-smelling cedar mulch) may deter rattlesnakes and copperheads. The cedar may cause respiratory distress as it would for pet snakes. You may want to consider using cedar mulch as a border around commonly used areas, like gardens, decks, playgrounds, etc. Note, we do not believe this will deter all snakes.  If used, the mulch border should be a minimum of 15” wide and 4-6” deep. In addition, cedar mulch must be replenished annually to maintain the aromatic scent and “fluffed” after heavy rains to restore the aroma. The aroma is the important factor…if you can’t smell it, it may not be working. 
  
  

Behavioral changes YOU can make to minimize the risk of interacting with a venomous snake in venomous snake territory

MOST IMPORTANT: BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS! 

• Before letting your dog out in the yard, scan your property (the short grass) for snake presence. 

• Watch where you walk.  Make sure you can see what’s in front of you AND what’s in front of anything you may step over. If working on a yard project, perhaps surveil your path of travel (a wider path than you’d walk) prior to carrying items that will block your sight. Re-surveil every so often. 

• Wear shoes and use a flashlight when walking outside at night. Using the flashlight, scan a wide arc in front of you and along the sides for any venomous snakes that may be taking in the last bits of warmth from a walkway or scent-trailing a rodent. 

• Don’t reach blindly into vegetation, firewood stacks, or rock/brick piles, etc. Always be sure you can see what’s around. When weeding, put a broom handle (or similar item) on the ground within the work area and drag the handle along the ground in wide swaths (“Z’s”) to sweep for resting/foraging snakes. IF a snake is present, it’ll either move away or coil up (likely startling even the most snake-friendly person). You will then – at least – know a snake is present. If you suspect it is venomous, see the section above on what to do if a venomous snake is on your property. 
  
  

Snake Bites – Rare, but they happen

Non-venomous snake: If bitten by a non-venomous snake, you would treat it as any other cut or wound. Wash it thoroughly with soap and water, and disinfect with peroxide, rubbing alcohol, or similar disinfecting product. Keep an eye on it over the next few days to watch for signs of an infection (swelling, reddish, may feel warmer than other areas). If you believe you have an infection, you should speak with a medical professional. 

Venomous snake: The Endangered & Nongame Species Program’s snake biologist has been unable to find any records in at least 70 years of anyone dying from a timber rattlesnake or eastern copperhead (formerly northern copperhead) bite in New Jersey. In addition, it is extremely rare to be bitten by a venomous snake in New Jersey. Consider this…all of New Jersey’s northern mountains (where rattlesnakes and often copperheads reside) are surrounded by residential communities where the snakes travel as they move around their summer ranges. Yet only 15 people have been bitten in the past 22 years (1999-2021) and only three of those were on private lands. The remainder occurred on conserved lands or roads.  

The majority of bites in the past 40 years or more (1980-2021) have been either drunk men “having fun” or people handling or attempting to reposition the snakes. The snakes try to avoid us as we are simply large predators in their eyes. 

However, accidents happen and so it’s important that residents living in venomous snake territory understand what to do if someone is bitten: 

• Take a photograph of the snake so we can confirm the identification. (Many people claiming they can identify snakes have mistaken non-venomous species for venomous ones.) 

• Seek medical assistance immediately; call 911. When at the hospital, ask the doctor to contact the State Poison Control Center for the most current treatment protocols. (This is critical! Some people do not need antivenom and since snake bites are rare in New Jersey, the State Poison Control Center recommends they are included in the process as they remain current in treatment protocols.)

• While awaiting the medical team to reach you: 
  • The bitten person must remain as calm as possible. (If a child is bitten, adults should behave as if “the whole thing is no big deal” to help calm the child.)  Venom travels through the bloodstream, so the more excited the person, the faster that venom is spread, reaching and damaging more tissue and organs. 
  • If you are alone, tell anyone you see (or can call) what has happened and ask they stay with you until the medical team arrives. Some people are allergic to the venom and may have an anaphylactic reaction, becoming unconscious. If this happens, you’ll need someone to speak on your behalf. 
  • Keep the bitten portion of the body below the heart. 

• According to the CDC (accessed 06/01/2022): 
  • Do not pick up the snake or try to trap it. NEVER handle a venomous snake, not even a dead one or its decapitated head. 
  • Do not wait for symptoms to appear if bitten, get medical help right away. 
  • Do not apply a tourniquet. 
  • Do not slash the wound with a knife or cut it in any way. 
  • Do not try to suck out the venom (or extract it with a venom extractor kit). 
  • Do not apply ice or immerse the wound in water. 
  • Do not drink alcohol as a painkiller. 
  • Do not take pain relievers (such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen). 
  • Do not apply electric shock or folk therapies. 

Related Topics

• Timber Rattlesnake Conservation
• Reptiles and Amphibians in New Jersey