Georgia, private property
Dead Opossum Removal in Georgia
Henry County's request page lists the 'possum' among the small wildlife it does not remove, regardless of location, though its code (3-4-8) makes dead animals in county-road rights of way a county duty (both read 2026-10-01). We found no current public service that collects a dead wild animal, opossums included, from a yard. Georgia DPH's rabies manual says opossum bites and scratches are 'generally not considered to be a rabies risk'. If the opossum is somewhere you cannot reach, or you would rather not touch it, call 404-609-1114 to see whether an independent operator covers your address.
Can a dead opossum carry rabies in Georgia?
Georgia DPH's Rabies Control Manual says opossums are marsupials with a lower internal body temperature that is 'not conducive to rabies infection', so bites and scratches from opossums are 'generally not considered to be a rabies risk'. DPH does not say opossums cannot get rabies. If someone was bitten, DPH says to report it to the county health department or 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584). For a carcass under a structure, see under a deck or crawl space.
Source: Georgia DPH, Rabies Control Manual, checked 2026-10-01.
Before you pay anyone. Check whether it is on a road. Athens-Clarke FAQ 142 limits street and right-of-way collection to animals 'the size of an armadillo, raccoon, opossum (or larger)'; requests go to Solid Waste at 706-613-3501, option 7. On a state highway, the carcass falls under GDOT's statutory duty. 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. Gwinnett takes only small carcasses from private property, bagged and set roadside, and Athens-Clarke's Dead Animal Pickup Request page asks you to put a yard animal at the curb before you call, though FAQ 279 calls an animal off the street or right of way the resident's responsibility.
What this covers
- An opossum found dead on a lawn, in a flower bed or beside the garbage cans
- An opossum under a deck, porch or shed, reachable from the open side
- An opossum in a garage, crawl space or attic reached through an existing door or hatch
- An opossum you do not want to bag and move yourself
Where the limit is
A live opossum is outside this site, which deals with carcasses. Local agencies treat live wildlife separately too. Augusta Animal Services says it does not handle nuisance wildlife complaints such as opossums, and Roswell refers wildlife control to Georgia DNR. Nothing routed through this site involves opening walls, floors or ceilings.
What Georgia law says. Title 27's definitions, as reproduced in DNR's 2008 statute excerpt, list the opossum as both a game animal and a fur-bearing animal. 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 rules; Sandy Springs and Johns Creek codes, for example, set 24-hour disposal limits. The 24-hour and 3-foot rules often quoted belong to the Dead Animal Disposal Act, which covers livestock-type animals. That Act's 24-hour rule does bind a homeowner who keeps livestock or poultry. 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.
What a removal service can help with. If the opossum is under a structure, out of reach, or simply something you would rather not handle, a call settles whether an operator covers the address and what it costs.
How a call goes
- Say where the opossum is and how it can be reached.
- Say whether anyone, or any pet, touched it.
- Give the address or ZIP. Calls reach this site's routing line, which passes them to an independent operator where one covers the area, and price and availability are settled on the call.
Questions about this animal
Will Henry County pick up a dead opossum?
Not according to its request page, which says Henry County does not remove small wildlife, such as raccoons, fox, squirrel, possum and armadillo, regardless of location, and the county's code leaves carcasses on private property to the owner or possessor. Henry's code (3-4-8) still makes dead animals in county-road rights of way a duty of its Animal Care and Control and county DOT (both read 2026-10-01), so the code and the request page do not match on roads. All of this covers unincorporated Henry County; the City of McDonough runs its own dead-animal request type.
Can I put a dead opossum in the trash?
We found no EPD or DNR text that bans a small dead animal from household garbage; acceptance is up to each hauler, cart program and landfill. Local codes vary. 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.
Do I need to report a dead opossum?
Nothing in the Georgia rules we read requires it. DNR takes reports of sick or dead wildlife through an online form linked from its Sick, Injured or Orphaned Wildlife page, and for a bite, DPH says to report it to the county health department or 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584).
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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