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Dead Animal Removal in Hillsborough County and Tampa
Tampa says in one sentence that its Solid Waste Department cannot retrieve carcasses from private property. The county, for its part, publishes instructions for doing it yourself and takes reports only from the public right-of-way.
The clearest sentence in Tampa Bay belongs to the City of Tampa, and it is worth quoting because it removes the ambiguity: the Solid Waste Department cannot retrieve carcasses from private property. The city's service is collection of small dead animals in City rights-of-way, on (813) 274-8811.
The city ordinance behind it is narrower than it first looks. Section 26-177 lets the owner, occupant or tenant of the premises where a carcass is found report it and arrange removal, but it covers only an animal under twenty-four inches at the shoulder and under fifty pounds, and it makes any city removal subject to the Department's own regulations. The published regulation is the sentence above. So the ordinance is permission to ask, not a guarantee of service, and it stops at fifty pounds regardless.
At county level, Hillsborough takes dead-animal reports for hazards in the public right-of-way and sends private-property situations to its self-help disposal guidance.
Who is responsible for what
| Situation | Who handles it | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| City of Tampa right-of-way, animal under 24 in and 50 lb | Tampa Solid Waste, (813) 274-8811 | The department states it cannot retrieve carcasses from private property |
| Anything over 24 in at the shoulder or over 50 lb in Tampa | Not covered by Sec. 26-177 | The ordinance's size and weight limits are part of the rule |
| Unincorporated county right-of-way, causing a hazard | Hillsborough County, online case request | Scoped to the public right-of-way |
| Private property anywhere in the county | The county routes you to self-help guidance | No county collection is published for private land |
Doing it yourself here
Hillsborough County's 311 knowledge base publishes step-by-step handling instructions drawn from the state wildlife agency and ends by telling residents to place the bagged carcass in the garbage. The same article warns that placing a dead animal in a public road, a public right of way or on County property is illegal dumping and a misdemeanor, so moving the problem to the curb is specifically what it tells you not to do. Note that the article says the garbage, not a particular cart.
Where that leaves wildlife on private ground
Nothing in either the city or the county material addresses an animal that has died in an attic, a soffit, a wall cavity, a crawl space or under a deck. Every published service here is surface level: a carcass lying in a road, or one a resident has already bagged.
Questions about Hillsborough County
Will the City of Tampa remove a dead animal from my yard?
No. The city's own service page states that the Solid Waste Department cannot retrieve carcasses from private property. Its dead-animal service covers collection of small dead animals in City rights-of-way, on (813) 274-8811.
What about Tampa's ordinance that mentions the occupant of the premises?
Section 26-177 lets the owner, occupant or tenant of the premises where a carcass is found report it and arrange for removal, but read the whole section. It applies only to an animal under twenty-four inches at the shoulder and under fifty pounds, and subsection (a) makes the city's removal of small dead animals subject to the Department's regulations. The published regulation is that Solid Waste cannot retrieve carcasses from private property. So it is permission to ask rather than a service you can count on.
Can I put it in the trash in Hillsborough County?
The county's 311 knowledge base publishes handling instructions that end with placing the bagged carcass in the garbage. It also warns that putting a dead animal in a public road, a public right of way or on County property is illegal dumping and a misdemeanor. So the county's own guidance is your own garbage, not the curb, and not county land.
There is a smell in my attic and I cannot see anything. Who handles that?
No published city or county service in this county covers it. Every service we found is for a carcass lying in the open on public ground, or one a resident has already bagged. Locating a source inside a structure is not something any of these departments offer, and that is the situation this site exists for.
Sources for this page
- City of Tampa, Dead Animal Removal on a City Road · checked 20 September 2026
- City of Tampa Code, Sec. 26-177 · checked 20 September 2026
- Hillsborough County 311, how to dispose of a dead animal · checked 20 September 2026
- Hillsborough County, report a dead animal in the right-of-way · checked 20 September 2026