Colorado, private property
Dead Deer Removal
Colorado Parks and Wildlife describes mule deer as plentiful through much of the state, including urban areas, and living in suburban residential neighborhoods. When one dies on private land, the cities and counties that publish a position put it on the property owner, with a few exceptions set out below.
Before you pay anyone. Check where it is lying. A deer on a state highway is for CDOT maintenance crews, and one on a city street or county road is a question for that city or county first. In Centennial, the city removes a deer from single-family residential property when the owner or tenant asks.
What this covers
- A deer lying in a yard, a pasture corner or beside a private driveway
- A deer that died against a fence or behind an outbuilding
- A deer that was hit on the road and then died on private land
- Fawns and yearlings found dead on private property
Where the limit is
A deer on a public road or highway, which goes to the agency that maintains it. A bear or a mountain lion: Colorado prohibits possessing any part of either unless CPW authorizes it, so call Colorado Parks and Wildlife first.
With a deer, the hard part is the weight and finding somewhere that will take it, not reaching it. A whole deer will not fit in household trash bags, and Colorado's health department says landfills accept animal carcasses with the landfill operator's prior approval.
Keep the carcass whole. Colorado rules on game carcasses, antlers and parts with trophy value still apply to a deer found dead, so the antlers and head should not be cut off or kept. Keeping the meat from a road-killed deer needs CPW authorization: a prior letter, a scientific collecting permit, or a donation certificate, which carries a 48-hour notice to CPW.
This page promises no arrival time. Calls route by ZIP where an operator covers the address, and whether anyone is available for yours, and what it would cost, is settled on the call.
How a call goes
- Say where the deer is lying and how close a vehicle can get to it.
- Say whether it is on your land, a road, or the edge of a public right-of-way.
- Mention anything unusual: a very thin adult deer, or more than one carcass. CPW asks to hear about unusually thin adult deer.
- Where an operator covers the address, the visit and the price are agreed on the call before anyone sets out.
Questions about this animal
Will my city pick up a dead deer from my yard in Colorado?
Usually not. Denver publishes that its Solid Waste Management does not collect on private property, Boulder County says property owners are responsible for all animal remains on private property, and Jefferson County Animal Control, which serves unincorporated Jefferson County, does not remove deer under any circumstances. Centennial is the exception: it removes deer and wildlife of similar size from single-family residential property when the owner or tenant asks.
Can I keep the antlers from a deer that died on my property?
Not on your own say-so. The CPW rule that lets a person dispose of dead wildlife covers animals unfit to eat with no marketable value, and parts CPW's Regional Manager judges to have trophy or commercial value are disposed of under the Regional Manager's direction. Ask CPW, and keep the carcass whole.
Does a dead deer have to be tested for chronic wasting disease?
We found no Colorado rule that requires testing a deer found dead on private property, or that stops it being taken to a landfill because of chronic wasting disease. CPW does ask to hear about adult deer carcasses that look unusually thin, and says about half of Colorado's deer herds have animals known to be infected.
Can I keep the meat from a deer that was hit by a car?
Only with CPW authorization: a prior letter of authorization, a scientific collecting permit, or a CPW donation certificate. A donation certificate requires notifying CPW within 48 hours of taking possession. The driver in a wildlife-vehicle collision must report it to the Colorado State Patrol.
Not sure this is the right page? Who removes a dead animal in Colorado works through the public and private split, and the locations page sets out what the larger cities publish.