Virginia rules
Who Removes a Dead Animal in Virginia
We found no Virginia statute or Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) rule that names anyone to take a dead wild animal off your private property, so the answer turns on where the animal is lying and which locality you live in. Fairfax County (with an exception for suspected rabies), Loudoun County and Chesapeake publish that they will not take a carcass from private property, and Alexandria's code lists dead animals among the items its solid-waste collection will not take. Arlington County and Norfolk publish narrower services.
Each statement below comes from the agency page, code section or rule it names, read on 30 September 2026. Where a page said nothing, we say we found nothing rather than guess. Last checked 30 September 2026.
Who removes a dead animal from private property in Virginia?
We found no Virginia law or DWR rule that gives that job to a public agency, and we found no statewide rule that puts a duty or a deadline on a landowner. Fairfax County's Animal Protection Police page says they do not pick up deceased animals found on public or private property unless rabies is suspected, and the county's carcass page, written for its trash-collection customers, says the county "DOES NOT pick up animal carcasses". Loudoun County's FAQ says "Homeowners are responsible for deceased animals located in their yard". Chesapeake's page says "The City will not enter private property to remove dead animals". Alexandria's city code, section 5-1-32, lists dead animals among the items city solid-waste collection will not take. Many other localities publish nothing on the point, and we do not read silence as a refusal.
Source: Fairfax County Department of Public Works: Animal Carcass Disposal, checked 2026-09-30.
Which Virginia localities offer something for a dead animal on private property?
Two publish services narrower than a refusal. Arlington County's Environmental Health page tells residents to call Animal Control at 703-931-9241 for a dead raccoon, fox, bat, groundhog or skunk and states no location limit. The same page says Animal Control does not pick up squirrels, rabbits, mice, rats, chipmunks or birds other than eagles, which the resident bags for an outdoor trash can, and the Animal Welfare League of Arlington says removal of a deceased deer from private property is not part of its county contract. Whether a carcass under a deck or in a crawlspace is in scope is not stated. Norfolk's Waste Management page says the city "will only dispose of dead animals that are located on the street or on the curb line". Virginia Beach lists a disposal service for an owner's deceased pet at a $20 fee. That is a pet service only, and we found no Virginia Beach page saying whether officers lift a dead raccoon from a yard.
Source: Arlington County Environmental Health: If You Find a Dead Animal, checked 2026-09-30.
Who removes a dead animal from a Virginia state road?
VDOT. Its contact page says to report dead animals in the road at my.vdot.virginia.gov or 1-800-367-7623 and lists dead animal removal among its maintenance services. Fairfax County's carcass page sends reports for any size of animal on a state road to VDOT, and Loudoun County sends a carcass on a road or shoulder there too. VDOT's page also says it does not maintain assets that are not on its right of way, and we found no VDOT service for private property. None of these pages gives a response time.
Source: VDOT: Contact Us, checked 2026-09-30.
Who handles a dead animal on a city street, or on a road in Henrico or Arlington?
The locality, in most cases. VDOT's contact page says it generally does not maintain roads in cities, towns, Henrico County or Arlington County, except interstates and major primary roads. Chesapeake's Public Works collects dead animals in the city right-of-way through the Customer Contact Center, 757-382-2489. Norfolk's Waste Management takes animals on the street or curb line at 757-664-6510. Henrico's county FAQ gives the police non-emergency line, 804-501-5000, for a dead animal in the road. Arlington maintains its own county roads, and its Animal Control number is in the answer above. For Prince William County, Chesterfield County and Alexandria we found no page that names a street route. For Richmond we found no page stating what its dead-animal request line, 804-646-5573, covers.
Source: VDOT: Contact Us, checked 2026-09-30.
Do DWR, DEQ or the Virginia Department of Health remove dead animals?
We read no page from any of them that offers removal from a yard. DWR's avian influenza page tells the public not to handle sick or dead wild birds and, where disposal on your own property is necessary, to use protective equipment and then bury the bird or double-bag it into a covered, secured trash can or landfill. DWR's human-wildlife conflict page points residents who cannot solve a problem to its Trapper Finder Tool, which concerns live animals. DEQ's animal carcass page, written mainly for farms, says carcasses should not go through a public convenience center or transfer station. In a March 2026 news release the Virginia Department of Health advised people not to handle sick, injured or dead animals and to report them to DWR.
Source: DWR: Avian Influenza, checked 2026-09-30.
What does DWR say about paid carcass removal from a home?
DWR's Commercial Nuisance Animal Permit (CNAP) conditions say the permit "also permits the removal of certain animal carcasses from private property", and condition I.I.7 lets a holder possess, transport and dispose of wildlife found dead on a homeowner's property. We read no DWR text on rentals, businesses or homeowners associations, and none saying a carcass remover must hold the permit. This site makes no claim about any operator's permit. The rules guide has the full wording and its exclusions.
Source: DWR: CNAP Information Materials and Permit Conditions, checked 2026-09-30.
Related questions
Is there one number for dead animals anywhere in Virginia?
We found none. State roads go to VDOT, city streets and Arlington and Henrico county roads go to the locality that publishes a route, and a carcass on private property has no published statewide route.
Who handles a dead animal in Henrico County?
Henrico's county FAQ answers the question for a dead animal in the road, with the police non-emergency number, 804-501-5000. VDOT's page says that, in general, it does not maintain roads in Henrico except interstates and major primary roads. We found no Henrico page that offers pickup from private property.
Does Richmond pick up dead animals from yards?
We found no Richmond page that says. RVA311's dead-animal request points to Animal Care and Control at 804-646-5573, and no page we read states whether yards are covered, so ask when you call.
Every source used on this page is listed, with the date it was read, at sources. If something here no longer matches what an agency publishes, that is worth telling us about.
If the animal is on your own property and you have established that no public service covers it, call 804-597-0205 and describe it, or send the details.