Dead Animal Removal in Virginia
Private-property removal Β· Virginia statewide Β· one number Β· calls route by ZIP where an operator covers the address.
For a dead animal on your own property. Independent operators take the job where one covers your address, so the address comes first.
Who removes a dead animal in Virginia?
We found no Virginia statute or Department of Wildlife Resources rule that names anyone to take a dead wild animal off your property for you. Fairfax, Loudoun and Chesapeake publish that they do not take a carcass from private property; Fairfax names suspected rabies as the exception. Alexandria's code lists dead animals among items its solid-waste collection will not take. VDOT takes reports for the roads it maintains, and a city street belongs to the city. The full answer goes through each case. Call 804-597-0205.
What operators take on
Pick the case closest to yours
By animal
If you can tell what it is, start here. Each page covers what the Virginia sources say about that animal, who may need to hear about it before anything is moved, and what an operator would ask on the call.
Dead deer
Virginia attaches a transport rule to deer inside its chronic wasting disease zones, and a separate claim rule to deer killed on the road.
What this involves →
Dead raccoon
VDH names raccoons, skunks and foxes as the wild animals most often diagnosed with rabies in Virginia.
What this involves →
Dead skunk
Skunks sit beside raccoons and foxes on VDH's list of animals most often diagnosed with rabies in Virginia.
What this involves →
Dead opossum
We found little that Virginia says about opossums in particular, so the general dead-wildlife rules are what apply.
What this involves →
Dead squirrel
VDH lists squirrels among the animals rarely diagnosed with rabies, and little else in Virginia is written for them in particular.
What this involves →
Dead bird
Most native birds are federally protected even when dead, and whether a paid removal service is covered is unresolved.
What this involves →By situation
Where the animal is lying decides whether there is a job at all. These three are grouped by how it is reached, and none of them involves cutting into a finished wall, ceiling or floor.
In the yard
Fairfax (except suspected rabies), Loudoun and Chesapeake say they do not collect from private property; Alexandria's code lists dead animals among items its solid-waste collection will not take.
What this involves →
Under a deck or crawl space
A carcass in a low space can be a job when someone can get to it. A sealed wall cavity is information only.
What this involves →
Attic or garage
An attic or garage carcass can be a job when it is reachable. Bats and rodents bring VDH precautions.
What this involves →The species and situation images are stock or AI-generated images showing conditions typical of this work, not photographs of jobs carried out by Virginia Dead Animal Removal or any operator, and nothing in them is a claim about who is available in your area. The photograph at the top of the page shows Thomas Jefferson's Monticello home, Charlottesville, Virginia (LC-DIG-highsm-16931). Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Sounds like yours?
Say what the animal is, where it is lying and how anyone would get to it. That is most of the first conversation.
Start here
Three different situations, three different answers
Almost every call comes down to one question: where is the animal lying? That single fact decides who is responsible, and it is worth settling before you spend money.
On your own property
Yours to arrange
A yard, a driveway, a crawl space, an attic, a garage or the gap under a deck. We found no Virginia statute or Department of Wildlife Resources rule that names anyone to take it away for you. Fairfax, Loudoun and Chesapeake publish that they do not take a carcass from private property; Fairfax names suspected rabies as the exception. Norfolk and Arlington County take only what their pages describe. If the animal can be reached without cutting, an independent operator can take it away where one covers the address.
On a road or public ground
Ask the agency first
A city street, a county road, a park or a state road. VDOT takes reports for the roads it maintains, and it generally does not maintain roads in cities, towns, Henrico or Arlington, except interstates and major primary roads. Find out which agency applies before you pay anybody for it.
Small, reachable, and you are willing
You may be able to do it yourself
Virginia agencies publish bagging advice for some small animals. DWR says a single songbird that died from a collision or a predator can be double-bagged and put in the trash, and a rule on dead wild rabbits allows household trash if they are securely bagged. A bat, a deer, or anything that touched a person or a pet is a different case, and VDH says not to handle sick, injured or dead animals. DEQ says carcasses should not go through a public convenience center or transfer station.
By where it is lying
Who handles it depends on where it is
| Where it is | Who handles it | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| Your yard, deck, crawl space, attic or garage | Most published local positions leave it with the owner | We found no state rule assigning it elsewhere. Fairfax, Loudoun and Chesapeake publish that they do not take a carcass from private property (Fairfax names suspected rabies as the exception), and Alexandria's code lists dead animals among items its solid-waste collection will not take |
| A resident's curb line in Norfolk | Norfolk Waste Management | The city page says it disposes of animals on the street or curb line only |
| Arlington County | Arlington animal control, for some species | The county page lists raccoon, fox, bat, groundhog and skunk in its pickup scope and says residents bag squirrels, rabbits, rodents and birds themselves |
| A road VDOT maintains | VDOT | Reports go to my.vdot.virginia.gov or 1-800-367-7623. VDOT generally does not maintain roads in cities, towns, Henrico or Arlington, apart from interstates and major primary roads |
| A dead deer inside a CWD Disease Management Area | Check DWR's DMA map and rule 4VAC15-90-293(D) before moving it | The rule says no person shall transport any cervid carcass or part of one out of the area, with listed exceptions |
Before you pay
When you should not be paying anyone
For an animal on a road, start with whoever maintains that road. VDOT takes reports for its own roads at my.vdot.virginia.gov or 1-800-367-7623. In cities, towns, Henrico and Arlington the locality usually maintains the street, apart from interstates and major primary roads, and Chesapeake publishes a Public Works route for animals in its right-of-way. Call the agency first.
On private property the published positions differ. Fairfax, Loudoun and Chesapeake publish that they do not take a carcass from private property, and Fairfax names suspected rabies as the exception; Norfolk's page says its city disposes of animals on the street or at the curb line only, and Arlington County lists five species its animal control will pick up. The locations page sets out what each of the larger places publishes, and says so where we found nothing.
Calls route by ZIP where an operator covers the address. Whether one is available for yours is answered on the call rather than assumed here.
By area
What the larger cities and counties publish
Fairfax County publishes that it does not pick up animal carcasses (except suspected rabies), Chesapeake that it will not enter private property for one, Norfolk collects only at the curb line, and Arlington County picks up a short list of species. 12 Virginia counties and cities are written up on one page, grouped into Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads and the Richmond area.
If you handle a small animal yourself
Check your own city before the trash cart
| Agency | What it says |
|---|---|
| DWR, a single songbird | If it died from a collision or a predator, double-bag it and put it in the trash; no need to call DWR |
| 4VAC15-200-60, a dead wild rabbit | Bury it at least two feet deep, incinerate it, or bag it securely into household trash |
| VDH, a dead rodent | Wet the area down, spray the dead rodent with disinfectant and place it in a plastic bag with enough disinfectant to wet it (hantavirus fact sheet) |
| VDH, any sick, injured or dead animal | "Do not handle sick, injured or dead animals"; report them to DWR |
| DEQ, any carcass | Should not go through a public convenience center or transfer station; a landfill takes one only if its permit allows, so call first |
Virginia rules
The reference pages
Who Removes a Dead Animal in Virginia
Who handles a dead animal in Virginia on private property, city streets, county roads and state roads, taken from each agency's own published pages.
Read it →Virginia Rules for Handling a Dead Animal
What Virginia statutes, DWR regulations and agency guidance say about possessing, moving, burying and disposing of a dead wild animal, with the gaps stated.
Read it →Before you call
Who answers when I call this number?
Virginia Dead Animal Removal is a routing line. It sells advertising and passes calls and form inquiries to independent operators where one covers the address. We employ no field staff and remove nothing ourselves.
Does one number cover all of Virginia?
It is one statewide number, and calls route by ZIP code where an operator covers the address. We do not claim every Virginia ZIP code is covered, so coverage depends on where the animal is.
Is this a government site?
No. This is a private publisher and routing line. No Virginia agency or locality operates or endorses it, and the pages here quote agency sources so you can check them yourself.
Do you show prices?
No. We do not do the work, so this site quotes no prices. Any figure would come from the operator who covers your address.
Is there a government service I should try first?
Check your own locality. Fairfax County (with an exception for suspected rabies), Loudoun County and Chesapeake publish that they will not take a carcass from private property, while Arlington County's Animal Control lists five species it picks up. The locations page quotes each source.
If it is on your own property
Call and describe it. The first thing worked out is whether a public service covers it, and if not, whether an operator covers your address.