How to Dispose of a Dead Animal in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania requires two feet of cover and a 100-foot setback from water, not the three feet published almost everywhere. What § 243.11 actually says, what your hauler decides instead, and when a rabies-vector species changes the answer.
- $300–$1,000
- Flat rate, by animal size
- Under 4 hr
- Same-day response target
- No trip fee
- Quoted on the call
- ✓ 25 Pa. Code § 243.11(b) — 2 ft of cover
- ✓ Plus 100 ft from waters of the Commonwealth
- ✓ § 243.11(a) — within 24 hours of death
How do I legally dispose of a dead animal in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania sets two numbers, not one. 25 Pa. Code § 243.11(b) requires every part of the carcass be covered by at least two feet of earth, at a spot at least 100 feet from waters of the Commonwealth and not subject to overflow. § 243.11(a) requires disposal within 24 hours of death, by burial, incineration, or another sanitary method.
What Pennsylvania law actually says
The operative rule is 25 Pa. Code § 243.11. Subsection (a) states that “the carcass of a dead animal not killed for food shall be removed and disposed of by burial or incineration or some other sanitary method within 24 hours after death.”
That scope phrase — “not killed for food” — is broad, and it is the reason this rule reaches a raccoon in your yard as readily as it reaches a farm animal. Unlike several neighbouring states, Pennsylvania does not carve pets or wildlife out of its disposal rule.
Note what § 243.11 is not. It is an administrative rule under Title 25 (Environmental Protection), not a wildlife statute and not a solid-waste facility regulation. Separately, the Domestic Animal Law, 3 Pa.C.S. §§ 2301–2390, licenses dead-animal disposal businesses through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. That is a licensing statute for operators. It is not authority for what a homeowner may put in a bin, and it is frequently miscited as though it were.
The three approved methods
Subsection (a) names three routes. Anything else — including a curbside bin — is not a state-approved method, which is a different thing from being prohibited.
| Method | What the rule requires | Practical for a homeowner? |
|---|---|---|
| Burial | At least 2 ft of cover, at least 100 ft from waters, within 24 hours | Yes, on your own land, subject to municipal and HOA rules |
| Incineration | Complete incineration of the carcass | Rarely — open burning is restricted by municipal and air-quality rules |
| Some other sanitary method | Undefined in the rule; judged on sanitation | This is the clause a licensed operator’s disposal route falls under |
Two feet — and the 100-foot setback
Almost every consumer page on this subject publishes “at least three feet.” That figure is not Pennsylvania’s. § 243.11(b) requires that every part of the carcass be covered by at least 2 feet of earth.
Pennsylvania then adds a second number that most sources omit entirely: the burial location must be not less than 100 feet from waters of this Commonwealth, and not subject to overflow by those waters. On a property with a creek, a spring, a pond or a seasonal drainage line, that setback — not the depth — is usually the binding constraint. It is also the part a homeowner is most likely to breach without realising it.
Which route fits which animal
| Animal | Usual lawful route | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mouse, bird, squirrel, chipmunk | Burial, or curbside if your municipality allows | Smallest category; most haulers accept when fully contained |
| Opossum, groundhog, rabbit | Burial, or curbside where permitted | Check bag weight limits, commonly 40 lb |
| Raccoon, skunk, bat, fox, coyote | Licensed operator or county animal control | Rabies-vector species. Do not handle bare-handed; CDC guidance applies |
| Dog or cat (your own pet) | Burial at 2 ft with the 100 ft setback, or veterinary cremation | Contact your vet; many offer private cremation |
| Dog or cat (stray, owner unknown) | County or municipal animal control | They can scan for a microchip and notify an owner — a private operator cannot |
| Deer | Game Commission salvage, county landfill, or operator | On a state road, PennDOT — report via 1-800-FIX-ROAD, not you |
The household trash question
This is the most-searched version of the question and the most often answered wrongly. There is no Pennsylvania rule that permits household-trash disposal of a carcass, and none that forbids it. § 243.11 simply does not list it among the three methods.
The Domestic Animal Law is sometimes cited here as though it settled the question. It does not. It licenses disposal businesses; it says nothing about a householder’s bin.
So the real authority is local: your municipal ordinance and your waste hauler’s own policy. Call the hauler. Most accept a small, fully contained, double-bagged carcass; most refuse anything leaking, visible through the bag, or over their weight limit.
If the animal died of a communicable disease
§ 243.11(c) adds a requirement almost nobody publishes: “In all cases of death from communicable disease the carcass shall be thoroughly enveloped in unslaked lime.”
Unslaked lime is calcium oxide — caustic, reactive with water, and genuinely hazardous to handle without protection. The practical reading is that a carcass suspected of communicable disease is not a do-it-yourself burial. If disease is suspected, contact your veterinarian or the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture before touching anything.
By county
Disposal practice below the state rule is county and municipal. Each county solid-waste programme sets its own acceptance rules, and haulers vary within a single county.
- Dauphin County (Harrisburg): Dauphin County / municipal solid-waste programme. Double-bagged non-vector species generally accepted in residential trash. Large animals via county landfill.
- Allegheny County (Pittsburgh): Allegheny County / municipal solid-waste programme. Standard solid-waste rules apply. Check your hauler or municipality for large-animal landfill options.
- Lehigh County (Allentown): Lehigh County / municipal solid-waste programme. Standard double-bag method for residential trash. County landfill for large carcasses.
- Lackawanna County (Scranton): Lackawanna County / municipal solid-waste programme. Standard solid-waste rules.
- Erie County (Erie): Erie County / municipal solid-waste programme. Standard double-bag for residential trash; county landfill for large animals.
County-level acceptance rules change without notice and are not published consistently. Treat the rows above as a starting point for a phone call, not as the current rule.
When to call a government office (often free)
- PennDOT — 1-800-FIX-ROAD. Any animal on a state-maintained road or its right-of-way. This is free, and it is not your job.
- Municipal public works. Anything in a borough or township street, alley or verge.
- County or municipal animal control. Any dead dog or cat where the owner is unknown — they can scan for a microchip.
- County or municipal health department. Suspected rabies exposure, or a carcass creating a public-health nuisance.
- Pennsylvania Game Commission — 1-833-PGC-WILD. Vehicle-killed deer questions, staffed 24/7.
Try these first where they apply. On a public road or right-of-way the removal is a public service you have already paid for.
When a licensed operator is the right call
A paid operator makes sense in a narrower set of cases than most pages suggest: a carcass inside a wall, attic, chimney or crawlspace; a rabies-vector species you should not handle; an animal too large to lift; a carcass suspected of communicable disease, where § 243.11(c) applies; or a location no public agency covers. Dead-animal disposal businesses are licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture under the Domestic Animal Law — ask before hiring anyone. What a licensed operator does and what it costs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I throw a dead animal in the trash in Pennsylvania?
How deep must a dead animal be buried in Pennsylvania?
Will the trash service pick it up?
How do I double-bag a dead animal correctly?
What if the animal died of a disease?
Can the landfill refuse a dead animal?
What if it is a deer-vehicle collision in my driveway?
Official sources
Every legal statement on this page traces to one of the sources below. Each was retrieved and read on the date shown. Where a source is agency guidance rather than law, it is labelled as such in the text.
- 25 Pa. Code § 243.11 — Disposal of dead animals — the three approved methods, the two-foot cover requirement, the 100-foot setback from waters of the Commonwealth, the 24-hour deadline, and the unslaked-lime requirement for communicable disease
- Domestic Animal Law, 3 Pa.C.S. §§ 2301–2390 — Licensing of dead-animal disposal businesses by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture — a business-licensing statute, not a homeowner disposal rule
- Pennsylvania Game Commission — Vehicle-killed deer possession rules; Centralized Dispatch Center 1-833-PGC-WILD, staffed 24/7
- CDC — Rabies — Federal guidance on handling animals that may be rabies vectors
Accuracy and review
- Last reviewed
- Reviewed against
- 25 Pa. Code (Environmental Protection) · Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes · CDC
- Editorial process
- See our editorial policy
This page is general information for Pennsylvania homeowners, not legal advice. Statements of law are quoted from the state's own code or administrative rules and linked to the official text. Statements of agency guidance are labelled as guidance, not law. Local ordinances, county health rules and waste-hauler policies vary and can be stricter than state law — confirm locally before acting. 25 Pa. Code § 243.11 sits in Title 25 (Environmental Protection) and applies to “a dead animal not killed for food” — broad enough to reach pets and wildlife, unlike the disposal statutes of several neighbouring states.
Think something here is wrong? We would rather be corrected than be cited incorrectly. Tell us what is inaccurate and, if possible, the official source that says otherwise — send a correction or call (717) 912-9692. Corrections to law or agency contact details are reviewed and, where verified, applied and dated.
If it is in a wall, too large, or a species you should not touch
Calls route to an independent licensed operator covering your county. Pennsylvania Dead Animal Removal is an advertising service, not a removal company. If a public agency covers your situation above, call them first — it is usually free.