Dead Animal Removal in Missouri
Private-property removal Β· Phone quote before any visit Β· Independent operators where one covers your address.
Missouri law makes wildlife state property, dead or alive, but we found no statewide rule that names anyone to take a dead one off your property for you. Most city and county pages leave it with the owner. A few collect at the curb, so check yours before you pay anyone.
- Yards, decks, crawl spaces, attics and garages, reached without cutting
- Where a city or county covers it, we say so first
- No price, arrival time or coverage is promised here
Who removes a dead animal in Missouri?
On private property, usually the owner: St. Louis County tells residents to bag it or hire a private service, and Chesterfield's own list says "Call Contractor". A few cities provide for collecting a small animal at the curb: Kansas City's code, for one, says there is no charge for occasional removal once the animal is bagged at the curb and the city has been told. MoDOT deals with animals that are a hazard in the driving lanes of state highways, and city streets and county roads go to whoever maintains them. The Missouri guide lists each route with its phone number. Call 573-400-4686.
What operators take on
Find the page that matches what you found
By animal
If you know the animal, begin with its page. Each page covers what Missouri rules 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
Missouri's Wildlife Code limits where a deer carcass may end up, and the CWD zone is gone for 2026-2027. A grown deer is heavy, and moving one usually takes more than one person and a vehicle close by.
What this involves →
Dead raccoon
Raccoons den in attics, crawl spaces and under decks, so a dead one is often somewhere awkward. Handle it with gloves, if at all, and keep pets away.
What this involves →
Dead skunk
Skunks are one of Missouri's two main rabies carriers, and the small spotted skunk is state-endangered. Look before anyone bags it.
What this involves →
Dead opossum
Opossums shelter under decks, porches and crawl spaces, so a dead one is often found by smell. Most can be reached through the gap the animal used.
What this involves →
Dead squirrel
Squirrels get into attics and garages along the roofline. One on the attic floor can usually be reached from the hatch; one inside a sealed wall cannot.
What this involves →
Dead bird
Most native birds are federally protected, but federal rules let anyone pick one up found dead for disposal. Several dead birds together are a report first.
What this involves →By situation
For reaching an animal, where it lies matters more than what it is. These three pages are sorted by access, and every one stops short of cutting a finished wall, ceiling or floor.
In the yard
An animal in the open is the easiest to reach. Some Missouri cities run a pickup for small animals that are bagged and put at the curb, so check yours first.
What this involves →
Under a deck or crawl space
Under a deck, porch or shed, or in a crawl space, the carcass is reached through the gap or access door that is already there, without cutting.
What this involves →In the attic or garage
An animal on the attic floor or in a garage can usually be reached from the hatch or a ladder. Bats are protected, and a sealed wall cavity is a different matter.
What this involves →Animal and situation photographs on this site are stock or AI-generated images showing conditions and equipment typical of this work. They are not photographs of jobs carried out by Missouri Dead Animal Removal or by 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 the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. Credit: Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith's America Project in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division (LC-DIG-highsm-67891).
Recognize your situation?
Have three things ready when you call: what the animal is, where it lies, and how someone would reach it.
Start here
Where it lies decides who deals with it
Start with where the animal is, not what it is. In Missouri that one detail usually tells you whose problem it is, and it is worth checking before you pay anyone.
On your own property
Usually yours to sort out
Yards, driveways, crawl spaces, attics, garages and the space under a deck. We found no statewide Missouri law that names anyone to take it away for you, and St. Louis County, Chesterfield and Creve Coeur point owners to a private service or the trash. Kansas City's curb pickup is the exception worth checking. Where the animal can be reached without cutting anything, an independent operator can remove it if one covers your ZIP code.
On a road or public ground
Ask the agency first
A city street, a county road, a park or a state highway. MoDOT deals with animals that are a hazard in the driving lanes of state highways, and several cities and counties publish their own routes for streets and county roads. Check which one it is before spending anything.
Small, reachable, and you are willing
You may be able to do it yourself
The Missouri Department of Conservation's carcass advice, written for animals removed for damaging property, is to bury it or bag it for regular trash pickup. A deer, a bat, a spotted skunk, five or more dead birds, or anything that touched a person or a pet is a different case. Whether it can go in your trash cart is up to your city or hauler.
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 | Usually the property owner | St. Louis County says bag it or contact a private service; Chesterfield's list says "Call Contractor" |
| A small animal bagged at the curb in Kansas City, or dead wildlife bagged at the curb in Raytown | The city, once told | Kansas City's code sets no charge for occasional removal; Raytown's Animal Services page has the owner bag dead wildlife at the curb |
| A dead deer in a residential yard in Manchester | The city's contracted provider | Report it on 636-227-1385, extension 102 |
| Private property in St. Peters | Animal Control may remove it | For a small fee; the page does not give the amount |
| A state highway | MoDOT, when it is a hazard in the driving lanes | Crews drag large animal debris to the outer grassy roadside; report on 888-ASK-MODOT |
| A city street or county road | The city or county | St. Louis city, Greene County, Boone County and St. Charles County publish routes |
| A spotted skunk, a bat or an eagle | Ask MDC or a conservation agent before moving it; your doctor or DHSS first if a person or pet had contact | The spotted skunk and four bats are state-endangered and all bats are protected; a dead eagle goes to MDC or the National Eagle Repository |
Before you pay
Check for a public route first
A dead animal on a road is for whoever maintains that road to deal with, so report it to them before paying anyone. MoDOT deals with hazards in the driving lanes of state highways, and St. Louis city, Greene County, Boone County and St. Charles County publish their own routes. Call them first.
On private property, a few cities help. Kansas City's code says there is no charge for the occasional removal of a small dead animal once it is bagged at the curb and the city has been told, and Raytown's Animal Services page has residents bag dead wildlife at the curb for Animal Control in the same way. Manchester's contractor removes dead deer from residential yards, and St. Peters says Animal Control may remove one from your property for a small fee. Lee's Summit and St. Joseph tell residents to call Animal Control. Each city's own wording is on the locations page.
Calls route by ZIP where an operator covers the address, and this page makes no assumption about yours.
By area
What the larger cities and counties publish
St. Louis takes street reports only, St. Louis County tells owners to bag it or hire someone, Kansas City's code provides for collecting small bagged animals at the curb, and Springfield sends residents to their own trash hauler. 24 Missouri cities and counties are written up on one page, quoted and dated.
Missouri rules
The reference pages
Who Removes a Dead Animal in Missouri
Who handles a dead animal in Missouri: private property, city curb pickups, MoDOT highways, county roads, and what the Department of Conservation says.
Read it →Missouri Rules for Handling a Dead Wild Animal
Missouri rules for a dead wild animal: state ownership, deer and CWD, rabies, protected birds and bats, water, trash and burial, and licensing questions.
Read it →Before you call
Who answers when I call this number?
A routing line, not a removal crew. Missouri Dead Animal Removal sells advertising and passes calls and form requests to independent operators where one covers the address. No one at this site handles an animal. Whether an operator is available for your ZIP code, and what it would cost, is worked out on the call.
Will my Missouri city take a dead animal out of my yard?
Rarely from the yard itself. Kansas City's code provides for collecting a small dead animal once it is bagged at the curb and the city has been told, Raytown's Animal Services page has residents bag dead wildlife at the curb for Animal Control, St. Peters says Animal Control may remove one for a small fee, and Manchester removes dead deer from residential yards. Most city and county pages we read, including St. Louis County and Chesterfield, leave a dead animal on private property to the owner.
What about an animal that died inside a wall?
Only if it can be reached without cutting, from the attic above, the crawl space or basement below, or an existing opening. An animal sealed inside a finished wall is not removed through this site; the wall-smell article explains what to check first and how long the smell tends to last.
How much does dead animal removal cost in Missouri?
This site does not set or publish prices. Each operator prices its own work, and what usually moves the price is the size of the animal, where it is lying, how hard it is to reach, the distance to your address and disposal charges. Ask for the price on the call before anyone sets out.
Is a live animal handled through this number?
No. This site passes on requests for dead animals only: no trapping, no live animal removal, no exclusion work, no bats, and no dead pets or livestock. For a live animal causing damage, the Missouri Department of Conservation keeps a list of nuisance wildlife control operators.
Animal on your own land?
Check the locations page for a city or county route first. If there is none, call with your ZIP code and a short description.