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Metro Atlanta

Dead Animal Removal in Atlanta, Georgia

In the City of Atlanta, the Department of Public Works collects dead animals from the curb, the city's right of way and city parks, and ATL311 takes the request. If the animal is in your house or backyard, the city's ATL311 article says the resident is responsible for placing it at the curb. ATL311 says interstates and highways are GDOT's responsibility.

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For an animal still on your own property in Atlanta, calls to this number reach this site's routing line, which passes them to an independent operator where one covers the area. Price and availability are settled on the call.

Who picks up a dead animal in Atlanta?

Atlanta's Department of Public Works does, starting at the curb. The ATL311 article on dead animal removal says Public Works “collects dead animals from the curb, the City’s right of way and City of Atlanta parks,” and that “if the animal is in the house or backyard, the resident is responsible for placing the animal at the curb.” Requests go to ATL311 at 404-546-0311 or online. An animal you cannot or would rather not carry out, or one under a deck or in a crawl space, is a job for a private removal service.

Source: ATL311: Dead Animal Removal (knowledge article KB0011870, modified 6/9/2026), checked 2026-10-01.

Who handles a dead animal in Atlanta, by where it is
Where the animal isWho handles itHow to reach them
Interstate or highwayGeorgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), according to ATL311404-635-6800, the number ATL311 prints for a dead animal on the interstate; the article says to dial 911 if it is a traffic hazard
Street, curb, city right of way or city parkCity of Atlanta Department of Public WorksATL311: 404-546-0311 or the online request linked from the ATL311 article
Inside the house or in the backyardThe resident places it at the curb, and Public Works collects it from thereATL311, once the animal is at the curb
Under a deck, in a crawl space, garage or atticWe found no city service that collects a dead wild animal from there. A private removal service, if you would rather not bring it out yourselfThe number on this page; calls reach this site's routing line, which passes them to an independent operator where one covers the area
A dead petPublic Works, from the curb, right of way or a park, through the same ATL311 request. ATL311 warns that a collected pet's ashes cannot be retrievedATL311: 404-546-0311

Read on 2026-10-01 from ATL311 article KB0011870 (showing a modified date of 6/9/2026) and the Public Works Office of Solid Waste Services page.

On a road, street or public land

On a city street, at the curb, on the city's right of way or in a city park, the City of Atlanta's Department of Public Works collects the animal. ATL311 takes the request at 404-546-0311 or online, and its request form asks “Is the animal in the street or on the sidewalk?”, so note exactly where it lies before you call. Interstates and highways are handled differently. ATL311 says dead animals there “are the responsibility of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).” For a dead animal on the interstate, it prints 404-635-6800, and it says to dial 911 if the animal is a traffic hazard. That number comes from the city's article; we found no dead-animal page on GDOT's own website. Under state law, O.C.G.A. 4-5-4, GDOT's duty covers dead animals within the rights of way of highways maintained wholly or partly with state funds.

In a yard, under a deck or in a crawl space

Atlanta's service starts at the curb. ATL311 says: “If the animal is in the house or backyard, the resident is responsible for placing the animal at the curb.” For an opossum by the back fence or a raccoon beside the patio, someone has to carry it to the curb before Public Works can collect it. We found no statewide Georgia rule that makes a homeowner remove a wild animal carcass from their own property or sets a deadline for it, though Atlanta's own code has an older notice provision, described below. If you would rather not handle the animal, that is what a private removal call is for. See a dead animal in the yard.

Under a deck, in a crawl space, in the garage or in the attic, we found no city service that collects a dead wild animal from there. ATL311's article covers the curb, the right of way and parks, so the animal would have to come out first. Those are the calls this number is for, when the animal can be reached without cutting into anything. A smell from inside a closed wall or ceiling is a different problem, explained in our article on a dead animal smell in a wall; the calls we route do not involve opening walls, ceilings or finished floors. See under a deck or in a crawl space and in an attic or garage.

A dead deer in Atlanta

The ATL311 article gives no deer rule and no size limit, so a deer follows the same lines as any other animal. Public Works collects it from the right of way or a city park, the resident moves it to the curb from a backyard, and GDOT handles interstates and highways. Statewide, Georgia's deer carcass rule (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-2-.19, in force since June 25, 2025) makes it unlawful to dispose of a deer carcass anywhere other than the property on which the deer was killed unless an approved method is used; the approved methods include a commercial deer processor, a permitted solid waste landfill, burial, incineration, rendering or composting. We found no guidance on how it applies to a deer that dies on its own in a yard; ask DNR's Wildlife Resources Division: 1-800-366-2661. See our dead deer removal page.

What that means for you

In Atlanta the curb is the dividing line. In the street, on the sidewalk or in a city park, start with ATL311. In the backyard, if you can carry the animal to the curb, the city collects it from there. A private call fits when the animal is under a deck, in a crawl space, garage or attic, or when you would rather not move it. For a dead bear, alligator, hawk, eagle, owl or other bird of prey, call DNR (1-800-366-2661); DNR also asks for a call about a protected species such as a bald eagle, and we found no Georgia guidance on a bear or alligator found dead on private land. Bats: DPH says it is best never to handle any bat; if a person or pet may have been exposed, call the county health department. Independent operators set their own prices, and price and availability are settled on the call.

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How Atlanta's dead-animal service works

Atlanta runs dead-animal collection through its Department of Public Works, and ATL311 is the way in. It names three places crews collect from: the curb, the city's right of way and City of Atlanta parks. The Public Works Office of Solid Waste Services page repeats the core of it: “The City of Atlanta collects dead animals from the curb or from the City’s right of way.” The article also carries a note for pet owners: “If requesting removal of a deceased pet, please be aware that the animal's ashes cannot be retrieved after collection.” Atlanta's code holds an older rule as well. Section 18-2, carried from the 1977 code, says that any person on whose premises a small animal dies or is found dead must, within three hours of its death or discovery, notify the sanitation inspector of the district or the director of sanitation services, unless the carcass is removed within that time to a place the director designates. To request collection today, follow the ATL311 article.

Pages for the animal or the place you found it

Questions about Atlanta

Will the City of Atlanta come into my backyard for a dead animal?

The ATL311 article puts that step on the resident: “If the animal is in the house or backyard, the resident is responsible for placing the animal at the curb.” Once the animal is at the curb, Public Works collects it after a request to ATL311 at 404-546-0311 or online.

Who do I call about a dead animal on an Atlanta interstate?

ATL311 says dead animals on the interstate or highways are the responsibility of the Georgia Department of Transportation. For a dead animal on the interstate, the article gives 404-635-6800, or 911 if the animal is a traffic hazard. We found no dead-animal page on GDOT's own website.

Can I get my pet's ashes back if Atlanta collects it?

No, according to ATL311. Its dead animal removal article says that if you request removal of a deceased pet, the animal's ashes cannot be retrieved after collection. If keeping the ashes matters to you, decide that before you file the request.

Is there a time limit in Atlanta for a dead animal on my property?

Atlanta's code, section 18-2, carried from the 1977 code, says a person on whose premises a small animal dies or is found dead must notify the sanitation inspector or the director of sanitation services within three hours, unless the carcass is removed within that time to a place the director designates. That is a city provision. Statewide, we found no Georgia rule that sets a deadline for a homeowner to remove a wild animal carcass.

Who removes a dead animal from under a deck or house in Atlanta?

We found no City of Atlanta service that collects a dead wild animal from under a deck or house. The city's collection covers the curb, the right of way and city parks, so the animal has to be brought out first. If you would rather not go under the deck or house, a private removal service is the other route. Calls to the number on this page reach this site's routing line, which passes them to an independent operator where one covers the area.

Should I report a dead raccoon in my Atlanta yard for rabies testing?

Georgia DPH names raccoons, skunks and foxes as the most common terrestrial wildlife infected with rabies in Georgia, but the state lab accepts a specimen only when a person or a domestic animal was exposed. If someone was bitten, DPH says to report it to the county health department or 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584). For other contact by a person or pet, ask the county health department what to do with the carcass.

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