Georgia, private property
Dead Deer Removal in Georgia
We found no current public service that collects a dead deer from a yard in Georgia. Some county crews take deer from roads: Henry County DOT from county-road rights of way, and Cherokee Public Works for a deer 'in roadway or impeding traffic'. Since June 25, 2025, a statewide DNR rule has also limited where and how a deer carcass may be disposed of. If the deer is on your property and you cannot move it yourself, call 404-609-1114 to find out whether an independent operator covers your address.
Will Georgia DNR or the county remove a dead deer from my property?
No current DNR or county service page we read offers to collect a dead deer from private property. Columbus's code still lets city crews enter private property at the owner's or occupant's request, at the chief's discretion, but we found no current Columbus page offering it. Henry County's request page says it 'does not remove deer from private property'. DNR's part is the statewide deer disposal rule; for questions about it, ask DNR's Wildlife Resources Division: 1-800-366-2661.
Source: Henry County, 'Dead Deer' request type, checked 2026-10-01.
Before you pay anyone. Look at where the deer is lying. Georgia law gives GDOT the duty to remove dead animals within the rights of way of highways maintained wholly or partly with state funds (O.C.G.A. 4-5-4). We found no GDOT page for reporting one; some cities and counties print a GDOT number. Atlanta's ATL311 article prints GDOT at 404-635-6800 for the interstate, or 911 if it is a traffic hazard, and Gwinnett gives 404.631.1990 for state roadways during regular business hours. On local roads, Henry County DOT handles deer in county-road rights of way, and Cherokee Public Works ((770) 345-5842) takes a deer 'in roadway or impeding traffic'.
What this covers
- A deer that died on a lawn, a pasture edge or beside a private driveway
- A deer that was hit on the road and made it onto private land before dying
- A fawn or yearling found dead on private property
- A deer too heavy, or too far from the curb, to move on your own
- Where the carcass will go, since the 2025 rule allows disposal away from the property where the deer was killed only by an approved method
Where the limit is
This site deals with carcasses. For a live deer that is sick or injured, DNR's line is 1-800-366-2661. For a dead bear or alligator, call DNR (1-800-366-2661); we found no Georgia guidance on one found dead on private land. Nothing on this page says any operator holds a DNR permit, and we found no Georgia rule that specifically licenses dead-animal removal.
What a removal service can help with. The current public routes we found for a dead wild animal stop at the curb, the road edge or other public property; Augusta and Clayton County offer paid pickup for owned pets only. Atlanta Public Works expects a backyard animal to be carried to the curb first, Gwinnett removes dead animals from public property, and from private property takes only small carcasses, bagged and set roadside, and Fayette County's road crews say they 'cannot and will not go on private property, under any circumstances.' A call is for what those rules leave to you, such as a deer you cannot drag to the curb. Whether an operator covers your address, and the price, are settled on the call. Ask where the carcass would go.
What Georgia law says. Rule 391-4-2-.19, in force since June 25, 2025, reads: 'It is unlawful for any person or taxidermist to dispose of a deer carcass, or part thereof, on any location other than the property on which the deer was killed, unless the disposal is in accordance with an approved method. Approved methods of disposal include using a commercial deer processor, permitted solid waste landfill, burial, incineration, rendering, or composting.' DNR describes proper disposal as 'now required across all of Georgia' for anyone transporting or disposing of deer carcasses or parts. It is the main statewide rule a homeowner with a dead deer is likely to meet. The rule speaks of the property where the deer 'was killed', and we found no DNR guidance on how that applies to a deer that died of illness or injury in a yard. Ask DNR's Wildlife Resources Division: 1-800-366-2661.
We found no statewide rule that sets a deadline for a homeowner to remove a wild animal carcass from their own property, or that requires them to remove it. Your city or county may have its own. Unincorporated Cobb County's code, section 10-7(c), requires burial or incineration in a county approved incinerator within 12 hours of death or discovery unless the carcass is properly refrigerated or frozen; the section's abandonment rule is written around a person who owns or cares for the animal, and we found no county page on how it applies to a wild animal that dies on your lot. Augusta's section 4-1-26(f) sets 12 hours after death or discovery. The section's duties are written around a person who owns or is caring for the animal and 'the owner of any dead animal carcass', and we found no city page explaining how it applies to a wild animal that dies on your lot.
How a call goes
- Call 404-609-1114 or send the form with the address or ZIP. Calls reach this site's routing line, which passes them to an independent operator where one covers the area.
- Say where the deer is lying: open lawn, fence line, ditch, wood edge or under a structure.
- Give its rough size (fawn, doe or buck) and say how close a truck or trailer can get, including gates, slopes and soft ground.
- Say whether it was hit by a car and whether a road agency or the police already knows.
- Ask where the carcass will go. The 2025 rule's approved methods include a commercial deer processor, a permitted solid waste landfill, burial, incineration, rendering or composting.
- Price and availability are settled on the call. Independent operators set their own prices.
Questions about this animal
Does Georgia law say a dead deer must be removed within 24 hours?
We found no statewide rule that sets a deadline for a homeowner to remove a wild animal carcass. Your city or county may have its own rules; Sandy Springs and Johns Creek codes, for example, set 24-hour disposal limits. The 24-hour and 3-foot burial rules people quote come from the Dead Animal Disposal Act, whose 'dead animals' are livestock, certain pet-business and shelter animals, commercially processed animals and wildlife-exhibition animals; that Act's 24-hour rule does bind a homeowner who keeps livestock or poultry. EPD and DNR say individual hunters disposing of deer do not fall under that Act, and that deer carcasses from outside processing plants go by Title 27 and local law. Unincorporated Forsyth County sets 24 hours from death for the animal's owner, agent or custodian, and unincorporated Cobb County (10-7(c)) and Augusta (4-1-26(f)) set 12 hours and their own 3-foot burial rules, in sections written around a person who owns or cares for the animal.
Can I keep a deer that was hit by a car in Georgia?
Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 27-3-28) lets any person lawfully possess native wildlife accidentally killed by a motor vehicle, with two exceptions. Anyone who takes possession of a road-killed bear must notify DNR or a law enforcement officer within 48 hours, and the law does not let anyone take a protected species. It covers vehicle kills only, and says nothing about a deer that died of illness or age in a yard.
Is my county in Georgia's CWD Management Area?
As of 2026-10-01, DNR lists Atkinson, Lanier, Berrien and Lowndes counties as its CWD Management Area. Chronic wasting disease was first found in Georgia in January 2025, and DNR says it has no proposed baiting restrictions or regulation changes for the management area. The deer disposal rule applies across the whole state either way. Check DNR's CWD page at georgiawildlife.com/cwd for the current list.
Can I bury a dead deer on my property?
Burial is one of the approved methods in Georgia's deer disposal rule, and the rule gives no depth. Burying on your own land is an option only where local code allows it. DNR's CWD guidance for hunters says unused parts 'should be left on the property where the deer was killed, sent to a landfill, or buried deep enough to prevent scavenging'. We found no statewide depth or setback rule for burying a wild animal in a yard; the statewide 3-foot figure belongs to the livestock Act. Unincorporated Cobb County's code, section 10-7(c), says buried carcasses must be at least three feet below ground level, but no more than eight feet, with not less than three feet of earth over the carcass; the section's abandonment rule is written around a person who owns or cares for the animal, and we found no county page on how it applies to a wild animal that dies on your lot. Augusta's section 4-1-26(f) sets its own 3-foot burial rule; its duties are likewise written around a person who owns or is caring for the animal and 'the owner of any dead animal carcass'. Unincorporated Forsyth County's code bars burying wildlife outside agricultural zoning.
Can a whole deer go in my garbage cart?
We found no DNR or EPD text that says so. DNR's hunter page says smaller deer parts can be bagged and thrown in household garbage containers, which is guidance about parts. Gwinnett's solid-waste code lists dead animals larger than ten pounds as unacceptable waste for residential haulers, and Macon-Bibb's code says dead animals shall not be placed in garbage containers. Ask your hauler or landfill first.
Does DNR want to know about a dead deer?
In some cases. DNR's deer fact sheet lists a dead deer in or near a stream, lake or pond with no apparent injuries among the top five circumstances when you should call and talk to a biologist; the fact sheet gives 1-800-366-2661 for more information. DNR also has an online form for reporting sick or dead wildlife. None of the DNR pages we read says DNR collects the deer.
Where it was found
- In the yardNo current state or local service we found collects a dead wild animal from a yard. Atlanta collects at the curb once you carry it there, and Athens-Clarke's pickup page asks the same, though its FAQ 279 calls an animal off the street or right of way the resident's responsibility and FAQ 142 points private property to a wildlife removal company or the landfill. From private property, Gwinnett takes only small carcasses, bagged and set roadside.
- Under a deck or crawl spaceNo current public service we found goes under a structure. Calls here are for carcasses reachable through an existing opening, with no cutting.
- Attic or garageNo current public service we found removes a carcass from inside a home. Calls here are for attics and garages reachable without cutting anything.
Not sure who is responsible? Who picks it up · How to dispose of it · Dead deer in the yard · Georgia dead animal laws
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