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Dead Animal Removal in Pinellas County and St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is one of the few Florida cities whose sanitation department lists dead animal collection as one of its own services. Clearwater, ten miles away, limits itself to roads and medians. The county code says nothing at all.
Pinellas is worth reading carefully because two neighboring cities answer the same question differently, and the county sits it out.
St. Petersburg's ordinance, section 4-3, is unusually short: when any person finds the body of a dead animal the City shall be notified immediately, and the POD shall cause the removal of the body of any dead animal. There is no property type in that text, no species limit and no weight limit. Separately, the city's Sanitation Department lists dead animal collection among its services with a direct line on (727) 893-7398. Neither source says the city enters private property, neither states a fee, and neither gives a timeframe, so what happens on a private-property call is a question for that number. But in a state where most cities publish a right-of-way limit, St. Petersburg publishing neither is notable and you should ring them first.
Clearwater is the opposite and says so plainly. Its Solid Waste Services handles dead animals on public roads, rights of way or medians within city limits, and it routes wildlife questions to the state wildlife agency and pet questions to the county. Private property appears in none of the three lanes.
Who is responsible for what
| Situation | Who handles it | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| St. Petersburg | City Sanitation, (727) 893-7398 | Dead animal collection is listed among the department's services. No property limit is published either way |
| Clearwater public roads, rights of way, medians | Clearwater Solid Waste Services | Scoped to those three, inside city limits |
| Clearwater private property | Not in any published lane | Wildlife is routed to the state agency, pets to the county |
| Unincorporated Pinellas County | No county provision found | The county animal code contains no dead-animal disposal section |
Doing it yourself here
We found no Pinellas County rule on whether a bagged carcass may go in a household cart, and no city rule either way in St. Petersburg or Clearwater. That is silence rather than permission, so ask your own hauler before assuming.
Where that leaves wildlife on private ground
Clearwater's referral pattern is the useful part. Wildlife goes to the state agency, whose published lane is live-animal emergencies rather than carcass collection, and pets go to the county, whose lane is live strays and cruelty. A dead wild animal on private land in Clearwater is in none of them.
Questions about Pinellas County
Does St. Petersburg remove dead animals from private property?
The city does not publish an answer either way, and that is unusual enough to be worth acting on. Its ordinance says the City shall be notified when any person finds a dead animal and that removal shall be caused, with no property type named, and its Sanitation Department lists dead animal collection as one of its services on (727) 893-7398. Neither source states that crews enter private property, states a fee or gives a timeframe. Call and ask before you hire anyone.
What does Clearwater cover?
Clearwater Solid Waste Services handles dead animals on public roads, rights of way or medians inside city limits. The city routes wildlife matters to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and pet matters to Pinellas County. Private property is not in any of those three lanes.
Is there a Pinellas County service?
We found none. The county's animal chapter contains no dead-animal disposal provision, and Pinellas County Animal Services publishes no dead-animal service or reporting channel. That is an absence in the published record rather than a refusal, but it means there is nothing countywide to point you to.
Sources for this page
- St. Petersburg City Code, Sec. 4-3, Disposal of dead animals · checked 20 September 2026
- City of St. Petersburg, Sanitation Department services · checked 20 September 2026
- City of Clearwater, Report an Animal Issue · checked 20 September 2026
- Pinellas County Code, Chapter 14, Animals · checked 20 September 2026