Private property
What operators take on
By animal
The six animals, one page each
Virginia's wildlife rules define a wild animal to include its dead body. Several of these six bring their own question before anything is moved: the Chronic Wasting Disease transport rule for deer, the Department of Health's rabies list for raccoons and skunks, and federal protection for most wild birds.
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.
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Dead raccoon
VDH names raccoons, skunks and foxes as the wild animals most often diagnosed with rabies in Virginia.
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Dead skunk
Skunks sit beside raccoons and foxes on VDH's list of animals most often diagnosed with rabies in Virginia.
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Dead opossum
We found little that Virginia says about opossums in particular, so the general dead-wildlife rules are what apply.
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Dead squirrel
VDH lists squirrels among the animals rarely diagnosed with rabies, and little else in Virginia is written for them in particular.
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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
3 situations, grouped by how the animal is reached rather than by what it is. Each one can be reached without cutting a finished wall, ceiling or floor, which is the line this site routes to.
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.
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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.
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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 this site or any operator.
Animal pages and situation pages. The animal pages cover what the species changes in Virginia, from the Department of Health's rabies advice to the federal rule on wild birds. Whether there is a paid job at all still turns on where the animal is lying, and the situation pages work through that by access. Live animals are a separate, regulated job that this site does not cover.