Dead Animal Removal in Louisville, KY
Dead animal removal options in Louisville and Jefferson County: who handles a carcass on a city street, a state route or private property. Louisville is Kentucky's largest city and a merged city-county government, so 'the city' and 'the county' are the same office for most of Jefferson County, with a ring of small home-rule cities inside...
- Phone quote
- Before any visit
- Independent operators
- Routed by your address
- Quoted on the call
- Once the job is known
- ✓ Kentucky statewide · one number
Who do I call for a dead animal in Louisville, KY?
It depends on the ground the animal is on. On a public street, Louisville Metro Public Works (reports through Metro311) is the published contact: 311 or (502) 574-5000. On a state-maintained highway it is the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's, reported through the Highway Hazard Hotline. On private property, a yard, attic, deck or crawl space, no agency will collect it; that is the owner's responsibility. For private property in Louisville, Kentucky Dead Animal Removal can talk through the situation and check current operator coverage for a Jefferson County address: call (502) 527-2423. Nothing here guarantees availability, and any price comes from the operator on that call.
Is dead animal removal free in Louisville?
Partly, and the split is the part people get wrong. Louisville publishes a clean three-way split: Metro Public Works handles a dead animal in the city roadway when it is reported through Metro311, Animal Services says outright that it does not remove deceased animals from the roadway, and KYTC keeps only the interstates inside Jefferson County. Nothing published covers a carcass on private property, so a yard, deck or attic job is the owner's to arrange. Anything on private property is the owner's responsibility; whether an independent operator is available for a Jefferson County address is decided on the call.
| Where the animal is | Who is responsible | Phone | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public street or city property | Louisville Metro Public Works (reports through Metro311) | 311 or (502) 574-5000 | City service |
| State-maintained highway | Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Highway District 5 | 1-877-367-5982 (Highway Hazard Hotline) | State service |
| Private property: yard, deck, attic, crawl space | The owner arranges it; an independent operator if one covers the address | (502) 527-2423 | Depends on operator availability |
Who not to call: Louisville Metro Animal Services for a carcass in the roadway; its page sends those reports to Public Works (cruelty cases only: 473-PETS).
For the statewide version of this breakdown, see our guide to who picks up dead animals in Kentucky.
Why Louisville gets the dead-animal calls it does
Louisville is Kentucky's largest city and a merged city-county government, so 'the city' and 'the county' are the same office for most of Jefferson County, with a ring of small home-rule cities inside it. The Ohio River floodplain, the parks strung along Beargrass Creek, Jefferson Memorial Forest on the south edge and the older tree-lined streets of the Highlands, Crescent Hill and Old Louisville keep raccoon, opossum and squirrel activity close to houses, and the eastern suburbs toward Prospect, Middletown and Fern Creek back onto woodland where deer cross I-64, I-71, US 60 and the Gene Snyder Freeway. Louisville is also the one place in Kentucky where the state's own road rule is written down differently: the Transportation Cabinet maintains only the interstates inside Jefferson County, and Louisville Metro maintains the rest.
Louisville publishes the split plainly. Metro Public Works takes reports of a dead animal in the city roadway through Metro311, by phone at 311 or (502) 574-5000, online or in the 311 app. Louisville Metro Animal Services states that it does not remove deceased animals from the roadway and sends those reports to Public Works; a deceased animal involved in a cruelty case goes to Animal Services dispatch at 473-PETS. On the state side, KYTC District 5 says it is responsible only for the interstates in Jefferson County (I-64, I-65, I-71, I-264 and I-265) and that a non-interstate state highway such as US 60 or KY 913 is maintained by Louisville Metro Government. None of those pages covers private property, deer specifically, response time, or the small cities inside the county that run their own services. A carcass in a yard, under a deck or in an attic is the property owner's to arrange, and no confirmed operator covers Jefferson County through this site today.
Communities around Louisville: Highlands, Crescent Hill, St. Matthews, Old Louisville, Germantown, Jeffersontown, Okolona, Shively, Fern Creek, Middletown, Prospect, Valley Station.
Any private-property work in Louisville would be performed by an independent operator, if one is available for the address, following the disposal route that applies to the animal and the county and the Kentucky Department for Public Health's rabies guidance for raccoon, skunk, bat and fox.
What do people call about in Louisville?
Most-reported around Louisville: raccoon and opossum in the older Highlands, Germantown and Crescent Hill housing and under decks in the South End; squirrel in attics along the mature streets of St. Matthews and Old Louisville; deer along I-64, I-71, US 60 and the Gene Snyder in Prospect, Middletown, Fern Creek and near Jefferson Memorial Forest, heaviest from October into December. Found one in a Louisville yard? Start here. Can smell it but not find it? This walks the search.
Dead Deer Removal
Dead Deer Removal →Dead Raccoon Removal
Dead Raccoon Removal →Dead Skunk Removal
Dead Skunk Removal →Dead Animal in Yard Removal
Dead Animal in Yard Removal →Dead Animal in Attic Removal
Dead Animal in Attic Removal →Dead Animal in Wall Removal
Dead Animal in Wall Removal →Dead Animal Removal Cost
Dead Animal Removal Cost →What does dead animal removal cost in Louisville?
If an operator takes a Jefferson County job, the price is set on the call from what the animal is, where it lies, how it can be reached and how it has to be disposed of. A raccoon under a Highlands porch, a squirrel above a Crescent Hill ceiling and a deer on a Prospect lot are three different jobs. No figure is published here because none has been verified for Louisville, and no price exists until an operator has confirmed the address.
'Nearby Kentucky pages'
The closest metros to Louisville with their own pages, each with that city's published policy, the road split and the species people report.
Louisville dead animal questions
Who picks up a dead animal in the road in Louisville?
Does Louisville Metro Animal Services remove dead animals?
Who handles a dead deer on I-64 or I-71 in Jefferson County?
Will anyone come into my Louisville yard for a dead raccoon?
Can I put a dead animal in my Louisville garbage cart?
Is there an operator covering Louisville through this site?
Louisville Dead Animal Removal
Call to discuss the situation. Availability for a Jefferson County address depends on current operator coverage; any price is quoted on the call.