Who Picks Up Dead Animals in Michigan?

The four jurisdictions

Almost every wasted call on this subject comes from guessing the jurisdiction. Michigan has one structural quirk worth knowing: county roads are the responsibility of a county road commission, a distinct body, rather than a county engineer as in some neighbouring states.

Two limits before you call: municipal crews generally will not enter private property, and many will not handle rabies-vector species, referring those to the local health department or a licensed operator.

Roads: it follows who maintains them

• Interstates and state trunklines — Michigan Department of Transportation
• County roads — that county’s road commission
• City and village streets — that municipality’s DPW
• Private property — the owner, regardless of which road it adjoins

Note that a road-killed small mammal, deer or bird is exempt from the Bodies of Dead Animals Act’s 24-hour disposal duty under MCL 287.671(3)(b). That removes the statutory clock; it does not change who maintains the road.

On a state-maintained road: what MDOT actually says

MDOT’s own FAQ answers the question directly: “MDOT is responsible for removing roadkill, animal carcasses and other dead animals that pose a safety hazard on state-maintained roadways, including those designated as I, M, and US routes. County road commissions handle the removal of roadkill and dead animals on roads under their respective jurisdictions.” To report one, the FAQ says to contact the MDOT office nearest the location. What it does not say: any response time, any statewide phone line, or anything about a carcass on private property. County road commissions differ, too: Lenawee moves large remains off the road but does not dispose of them, Livingston subcontracts deer removal from its right-of-way, Calhoun only removes deer that are a hazard in the traveling lane, and Macomb moves them to the shoulder and refers disposal to Animal Control.

Keeping a deer you hit — the salvage permit

Michigan allows it, and the permit is free. You may obtain one from the DNR, from a police officer investigating the collision, by notifying the DNR or a local law enforcement agency of your intent to keep the deer, or — if you are the driver calling 911 to report the collision — by stating that intent on the call. The application is at michigan.gov/RoadKillPermit.

Two limits people miss. First, the salvage permit cannot be used for a long list of species, including bear cub, bobcat, elk, moose, wolf, wild turkey and spotted fawn deer. Second, a salvaged deer carcass may not be moved outside the county where it was killed — except deboned meat, quarters, antlers or a skull cap cleaned of brain and muscle tissue, hides, upper canine teeth, or a finished taxidermy mount. That restriction is a chronic wasting disease control measure.

Dogs and cats are a separate route

Note that Michigan’s Act does cover pets — the definition of “animal” at MCL 287.653(4) reaches vertebrates generally — so the two-foot burial rule applies to a dog or cat as much as to wildlife.

What is free and what is not

You should not pay a private company for a carcass in the public right-of-way. MDOT, county road commission and municipal DPW removal are already funded. Paid service is for private property, where no agency has authority to act.

Michigan private-property pricing is set by the operator on the initial call, and it moves with the animal's size, where the carcass is, how accessible it is, what disposal the Bodies of Dead Animals Act requires, and the conditions on the day. There is no fixed price to quote in advance.

By metro

• Grand Rapids (Kent County): the city’s 311 “Report a Dead Animal in the Street” request (616-456-3000) for city streets; MDOT for I-96, I-196 and US-131; Kent County Road Commission for county roads (policy not published).
• Lansing (Ingham County): no published city street-pickup policy in the pages we reviewed; MDOT for I-96, I-496 and US-127; Ingham County Road Department for county roads (policy not published).
• Flint (Genesee County): no published city street-pickup policy; MDOT for I-69, I-75 and I-475; the Genesee County Road Commission removes large non-domestic carcasses that are a hazard in a county road, while noting it has no statutory duty to.
• Ann Arbor (Washtenaw County): Washtenaw Metro Dispatch (734-994-2911) for a dead animal on public property, per the city’s animal-control page; MDOT for I-94, US-23 and M-14; Washtenaw County Road Commission for county roads (policy not published).
• Kalamazoo (Kalamazoo County): the city’s 311 “Report a Dead Animal” request for city streets; MDOT for I-94 and US-131; the Road Commission of Kalamazoo County moves a carcass that is blocking or endangering traffic off a county road but does not dispose of it (269-381-3171).

Contact details for these offices change. Confirm the current number on the county or municipal website before relying on it, and tell us if one here is out of date.

When a licensed operator is the right call

A paid operator is the right answer for a carcass inside a structure that can be reached without cutting a finished surface, a rabies-vector species, a large animal, or a private-property location no agency covers. Michigan regulates nuisance wildlife work through DNR wildlife damage and nuisance control permits under NREPA part 401 — ask what the operator holds, and ask for proof of insurance, before work starts. What a licensed operator does and what it costs.

Frequently asked questions