Colorado, private property
Dead Raccoon Removal
Raccoons once lived only along river corridors on Colorado's eastern plains. Colorado Parks and Wildlife now places them statewide at moderate elevations, helped by towns, irrigation and planted trees. A raccoon that dies on a property has often been living in or under one of its structures.
Before you pay anyone. If a person or a pet touched it, was bitten or was scratched, do not throw it away. Call your local health department and your doctor or vet, because the animal may need testing. Colorado's health department waives its rabies testing fee for a raccoon when contact with a person, pet or livestock is suspected.
What this covers
- A raccoon lying in a yard or against a fence
- A raccoon under a deck, porch or shed that can be reached through an existing opening
- A raccoon in a garage, a window well or a crawl space with a working access
- A raccoon on top of attic insulation that can be reached from the attic hatch
Where the limit is
A raccoon on a city street or county road, which belongs to that city or county. A raccoon sealed inside a finished wall or ceiling: operators do not cut into finished surfaces to reach it.
Operators work where an animal can be reached without cutting into a finished wall, ceiling or floor: open ground, a crawl space hatch, removable lattice or skirting, an attic access, a garage. They do not open drywall, plaster or other finished surfaces.
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 it is and how you know: seen, or only smelled.
- Say whether any person or pet had contact with it. If so, the health department comes first.
- Describe the access: a hatch, lattice, a crawl space door, or an attic opening.
- Where an operator covers the address, the visit and the price are agreed on the call.
Questions about this animal
Do dead raccoons carry rabies in Colorado?
Colorado's health department names bats and skunks as the main sources of rabies in the state, but raccoons are among the animals it tells pet owners to report after contact. If a person or pet touched, was bitten or was scratched by a raccoon, do not dispose of it; call the local health department.
Will Centennial remove a dead raccoon?
Yes, from single-family residential property when the owner or tenant asks, according to the city's request page. It does not collect from multi-family or commercial property. Its request form asks whether the animal is in the front or back yard, and neither the page nor the form mentions decks, crawl spaces or attics.
Can a raccoon in my attic be removed without cutting the ceiling?
Often, yes, when it is lying on or in the insulation within reach of the attic access. If it died inside a sealed wall or ceiling cavity, operators do not open finished surfaces. Our article on a dead animal smell inside a wall explains what that leaves you with.
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.