Southeast Florida · no confirmed operator coverage
Dead Animal Removal in Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade draws the line more plainly than almost anywhere else in Florida. The county picks up from the public right-of-way, and only when nobody owns the animal. On your own property it says the responsibility is yours, and it closes the cheap way out as well.
Of the counties we have read, Miami-Dade states the boundary in the fewest words. Animal Services collects from the public right-of-way, and only where the owner of the animal is unknown. The same page says owners are responsible for removing dead animals from private property. That is the whole rule, and it is unusually clean.
What makes Miami-Dade different from most of Florida is the second half. Many counties say nothing at all about whether a bagged carcass may go in the household cart, which leaves residents to guess. Miami-Dade says not to do it. So the county has closed the free route and declined the private-property job in the same breath, and what is left over is the case this site is about.
Who is responsible for what
| Situation | Who handles it | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Public right-of-way, owner unknown | Miami-Dade Animal Services | Free; request through 311 or the county service page |
| A city street inside the City of Miami | City of Miami, via 311 | Free; the city is carved out of county animal services and runs its own |
| SR 826, SR 970, I-395, I-195, I-95 | Reported to FDOT on *347 | Per Miami-Dade's own guidance for those named roads |
| A deceased dog or cat you owned | You transport it | $15 up to 25 lb, $20 for 26 to 50 lb, $25 over 51 lb at the Pet Adoption and Protection Center, Doral |
| Anything on private property | The property owner arranges it | No county service; quoted by an independent operator on the call |
Doing it yourself here
Miami-Dade tells residents that dead animals should never be placed in a regular green garbage or blue recycling bin. That is advisory wording on a county service page rather than a quoted ordinance, and no penalty is attached to it, but it is the county's published position and it is the opposite of what the state wildlife agency suggests generally. The only county disposal route with a published price covers dogs and cats that you owned, and you have to drive the animal there yourself.
Where that leaves wildlife on private ground
The paid drop-off is for dogs and cats. Nothing in it covers a raccoon in a soffit, an opossum under a deck, an iguana in a pool cage or a rat in a wall, which is most of what people actually call about.
Questions about Miami-Dade County
Will Miami-Dade County remove a dead animal from my yard?
No. The county's published position is that Animal Services only picks up dead animals when the owner is unknown and the animal is on the public right-of-way, and that owners are responsible for removing dead animals from private property. A yard is private property, so it falls outside that service.
Can I put a dead animal in my garbage cart in Miami-Dade?
The county says you should not. Its dead-animal page states that dead animals should never be placed in a regular green garbage or blue recycling bin. That is guidance rather than a quoted ordinance, and the page attaches no penalty to it, but it is what the county publishes and it differs from the general state wildlife agency advice.
My dog died. What does Miami-Dade offer?
Animal Services does not collect deceased owned pets from anywhere. You transport the body yourself to the Pet Adoption and Protection Center in Doral, where the published disposal cost is $15 for animals 25 lb and under, $20 for 26 to 50 lb, and $25 for 51 lb and over. Note that this route covers dogs and cats only.
Who handles a dead animal on I-95 or the Palmetto?
Miami-Dade's guidance routes dead animals on SR 826, SR 970, I-395, I-195 and I-95 to the Florida Department of Transportation on *347. That is the county describing the state agency's role on those named roads rather than a state publication, so treat it as the county's referral.
Sources for this page
- Miami-Dade County, Report Dead or Injured Animal · checked 20 September 2026
- Miami-Dade County, deceased pet disposal fees · checked 20 September 2026
- City of Miami, Report a Dead Animal · checked 20 September 2026