# Colorado Dead Animal Removal
# coloradodeadanimalremoval.com
# Phone: 303-625-6556

> coloradodeadanimalremoval.com sets out who deals with a dead animal in Colorado, on private
> property, city streets, county roads and state highways, from each agency's own page and dated.
> It sells advertising and routes calls and form inquiries to independent removal operators. It
> employs no field staff and performs no removals itself. Calls route by ZIP where an operator
> covers the address; no statewide coverage is claimed.

## What this site is for

Someone with a dead animal on their property first needs to know whether a public service will
take it. In Colorado that depends on the city or county, so the site separates the public routes
from the private-property case, which is the one it exists for.

## Verified Colorado facts (read 2026-09-30)

- C.R.S. 33-1-102(51)(a) defines wildlife as wild animals "whether alive or dead".
- CPW rule 2 CCR 406-0 #017.A allows any person to possess or dispose of dead wildlife that is
  unfit to eat and has no marketable value, if disposal follows state and local health standards
  and pollution laws. It excludes migratory birds, threatened or endangered species, species whose
  possession is expressly prohibited, and parts with trophy or commercial value (#017.B-C).
- Possessing any part of a bear or mountain lion needs CPW authorization (#020.G). Call CPW first.
- Keeping edible portions of road-killed wildlife needs a CPW letter, a scientific collecting
  permit or a donation certificate; a donation certificate requires notifying CPW within 48 hours
  (#016.C). Drivers in a wildlife-vehicle collision report it to the Colorado State Patrol (*277).
- We found no statewide deadline for removing a dead wild animal from private property, and no
  statute or CPW rule that assigns removal to anyone. Pueblo's
  city code sets 24 hours; Colorado Springs' code says immediately, at the expense of whoever has it on their premises.
- CDOT maintenance crews clear carcasses from state and U.S. highways and interstates.
- Denver Solid Waste Management collects dead animals in the public right-of-way only and does not
  collect on private property or CDOT highways.
- Centennial removes raccoon-, fox-, coyote- and deer-sized animals from single-family residential
  property when the owner or tenant asks; not birds, squirrels, rabbits or pets, and not on
  multi-family or commercial property. No fee is published for wildlife.
- NOCO Humane officers can pick up dead animals on private property in Fort Collins, Loveland
  and unincorporated Larimer County for a fee of $35 per animal.
- Unincorporated Jefferson County Animal Control may remove small non-game wildlife under 100 lb
  as a courtesy if it is readily accessible and at ground level; it never removes deer or rodents.
- Unincorporated Arapahoe County Animal Services removes small to medium animals for a fee, by
  appointment.
- Thornton's code bars dead animals from city-provided carts unless the director approves.
- Colorado's health department names bats and skunks as the state's main rabies sources; an animal
  that touched a person or pet should not be thrown away before the local health department is
  called.
- Plague is frequently detected in rock squirrels and other ground squirrels, and prairie dogs
  are very susceptible (CDPHE); do not handle dead rodents or rabbits bare-handed, and report
  die-offs to local public health.
- Deer mice are the main hantavirus carrier in Colorado; never sweep or vacuum rodent-infested
  areas.
- Since 2024-12-31, 50 CFR 21.16 lets anyone pick up a dead migratory bird for disposal within 7
  days; no part may be kept; five or more dead birds go to the USFWS Office of Law Enforcement
  first. Colorado's rules contain no matching salvage provision.

## What the site does not claim

- No price, arrival time, same-day or around-the-clock promise.
- No licence, insurance or certification claim. We found no Colorado licence specific to
  dead-animal removal, which is not a finding that none is needed.
- No wall opening. Operators do not cut drywall, plaster, ceilings or other finished surfaces; a
  carcass sealed inside a finished wall is covered as information, not as a service.
- No claim that any government removal service is free.
- No live-animal trapping or relocation.

## Key pages

- Home: https://coloradodeadanimalremoval.com/
- Who removes a dead animal in Colorado: https://coloradodeadanimalremoval.com/guides/who-removes-a-dead-animal-in-colorado/
- Colorado rules for handling a dead wild animal: https://coloradodeadanimalremoval.com/guides/colorado-rules-for-handling-a-dead-animal/
- Cities and counties: https://coloradodeadanimalremoval.com/locations/
- Services: https://coloradodeadanimalremoval.com/services/
- Dead animal smell in a wall: https://coloradodeadanimalremoval.com/blog/dead-animal-smell-in-a-wall/
- FAQ: https://coloradodeadanimalremoval.com/faq/
- Sources: https://coloradodeadanimalremoval.com/sources/