"There is a snake under the porch" calls come in steadily from late April through October. The good news: the snake did not break in. It used a gap that was already there. The fix is sealing the gap, not removing the slab.
How snakes get under a slab
Concrete settles and cracks over decades. Expansion joints open up. Soil erodes along the seam where the slab meets the soil. Mulch and landscape rock cover the gap on the surface, so the homeowner never sees it — but a snake working the perimeter at night finds it on the first pass. Once one snake uses a void, scent trails make other snakes more likely to use it too.
Porches, sheds, and crawlspaces
Wood porches almost always have a skirt board with one corner that has rotted or pulled away. Storage sheds on concrete blocks sit on uneven ground — there is always at least one corner with a gap. Crawlspaces with vent screens damaged by rodents are an open door. We have pulled snakes out of all three regularly across Marshall and Cullman counties.
What is the snake doing under there?
Three things, usually. Thermal refuge — the void is cooler in summer and warmer in fall than the open yard. Prey — voles, mice, and chipmunks use the same void, and the snake follows. Denning — in late fall, some species (especially garter snakes) overwinter in deep voids. A spring sighting may actually be a snake leaving the den it used all winter, not arriving.
The actual fix
We seal the gap with hardware cloth tucked into the soil, backed by appropriate fill or mortar, with screening across vents and skirts. For the broader homeowner reference, see our snake removal guide for North Alabama; the inspection workflow covers porches, slabs, sheds, and the foundation perimeter.
Around lake-area homes near Guntersville we see this pattern combined with the water-snake activity that comes with shoreline lots.
What not to do
Do not seal the gap blind without confirming the snake is out. Trapping a snake inside a void produces a dead snake and an odor problem. We confirm clearance before sealing — every time.
