Dead Animal Removal in Janesville, WI
Private-property removal · Phone quote before any visit · Independent operators where one covers your address.
Who handles a dead animal in Janesville and Rock County, quoted from the agency's own page: a city street, a state highway, and the private-property case that is yours to arrange.
Who do I call for a dead animal in Janesville, WI?
What decides it is the road the animal is lying on, or the fact that it is not lying on one. On a public street, City of Janesville Public Works, Operations Division (City Services Center, 2200 US Highway 51 North) is the published contact: (608) 755-3110 City Services; (608) 757-2244 non-emergency dispatch for police animal complaints. On an Interstate, US or state highway, WisDOT's car-killed deer contractor clears the shoulder; a carcass in the travel lane is a 911 call. On a county trunk highway it is the county highway department's. On private property, a yard, attic, deck or crawl space, it is the owner's to arrange; none of the Janesville pages we reviewed offers collection from private property. For private property in Janesville, Wisconsin Dead Animal Removal can talk through the situation and check whether an independent operator is available for a Rock County address: call (414) 519-6688. Nothing here guarantees availability, and any price is quoted on that call.
Is dead animal removal free in Janesville?
Janesville publishes a street channel, a cart ban and a deer drop-off, and nothing for private property. The City's Animal and Pet Ordinances page sends removal of dead animals on public property to City Services at (608) 755-3110, and its Online Service Requests system carries a "Dead Animal in the Street" request. The Trash & Recycling Collection page bans "Dead Animals" from both the blue-lid trash cart and the gray-lid recycling cart. The City's Sanitary Landfill at 525 Black Bridge Road accepts deer carcasses from Rock County residents from September through January, kept separate from other waste. No fee, species list or response time is published for the street request, and none of the City pages read says a crew will enter private property. Rock County's Public Works Highway Division page publishes contact details and no carcass policy. On Interstates, US and state highways WisDOT's Car-Killed Deer contractor clears deer from the shoulder as a state service, reported through the Rock County Sheriff at (608) 757-2244. A carcass in a yard, under a deck or inside a building is the property owner's to arrange, and an independent operator would do that work if one is available for the address. Anything on private property is the owner's responsibility; whether an independent operator is available for a Rock County address is decided on the call.
| Where the animal is | Who is responsible | Phone | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public street or city property | City of Janesville Public Works, Operations Division (City Services Center, 2200 US Highway 51 North) | (608) 755-3110 City Services; (608) 757-2244 non-emergency dispatch for police animal complaints | Not published |
| Interstate, US or state highway | WisDOT Car-Killed Deer program (private contractors in each county for Interstates, U.S. and state highways) | 911 when the carcass is on the traveled portion; otherwise the Rock County Sheriff, (608) 757-2244, the number the DNR's directory lists for reporting a car-killed deer for pickup in Rock County | State program; WisDOT's page names no charge to callers |
| County trunk highway | Rock County Public Works, Highway Division (3715 N Newville Road, Janesville) | 608-757-5450 | Not published |
| Private property: yard, deck, attic, crawl space | The owner arranges it; an independent operator if one is available for the address | (414) 519-6688 | Depends on operator availability; quoted on the call |
“For removal of dead animals on public property, please contact City Services at (608) 755-3110.”
“The following items are banned from trash collection and should NOT be placed in a trash (blue lid) or recycling (gray lid) cart:”
“The City of Janesville Sanitary Landfill will accept deer carcasses for disposal during the deer hunting season. Only Rock County residents are allowed to dispose of deer.”
“Deer carcasses must be disposed of separate from regular waste, and will not be accepted if co-mingled with other waste.”
“Processed carcasses placed at the curb with regular trash will not be collected by City crews.”
“Please do not report emergency issues on this system. If you have an emergency, please call 911.”
“The nearly 500-acre greenbelt system exists to provide areas for surface water runoff, and to provide habitat for a diversity of plants and animals.”
“Counties and municipalities are responsible for disposal of deer along county highways and local roads, respectively.”
Quoted verbatim on 2026-10-28 from the City of Janesville Animal and Pet Ordinances, Online Service Requests, Trash & Recycling Collection, Sanitary Landfill, Deer Disposal Policy, Operations Division, Street Maintenance, Parks Division and Greenbelt System pages, and the Rock County Public Works Highway Division page (both sites refuse automated requests, so these were read from Internet Archive captures made between March 2 and October 2, 2026), the Wisconsin DNR staff directory entry for reporting a car-killed deer for pickup, the DNR EHD page (updated Oct. 20, 2026), the WisDOT Car-Killed Deer page and the DNR carcass and sick or dead deer pages; the population figure is the one the City's Operations Division page gives.
What the pages do not say: Whether the City's street request covers the terrace, a greenbelt, a park or only the street itself; whether any fee applies; who performs the pickup and on what schedule; response time and after-hours handling; whether a small animal such as a squirrel or raccoon may go to the Sanitary Landfill, since the Deer Disposal Policy covers deer only and the landfill's banned list does not mention animals; what a deer drop-off costs; where a Janesville resident is meant to take a deer outside the September-to-January window; any Rock County Highway carcass policy in the County's own words; the name of the WisDOT Car-Killed Deer contractor for Rock County; any deceased-pet service from the Humane Society of Southern Wisconsin; the City's municipal code, which could not be read; neighboring towns' and Beloit's agencies were not checked. The City and County pages were read from archived captures, so a change made since the capture date would not show here.
Who not to call: The trash or recycling cart: the City's Trash & Recycling Collection page lists "Dead Animals" among the items banned from both, and says processed deer carcasses "placed at the curb with regular trash will not be collected by City crews"; The Humane Society for a loose, neglected or abused animal: the City's ordinance page says "Please do not contact the Humane Society. Police officers will assess the situation and will call the Humane Society if services are needed," and sends those reports to non-emergency dispatch at (608) 757-2244; Wisconsin DNR for removal: its sick or dead deer page says "Please note, in most cases, the department does not have the resources to remove dead animals, including deer," and its EHD page says DNR staff cannot collect deer suspected of dying from EHD; The Sheriff's line, (608) 757-2244, for a carcass on private ground: the DNR's directory lists it for reporting a car-killed deer for pickup on the state system, not for yards.
A live animal goes down a different line. The City says its Police Department "currently responds to animal complaint calls" and gives (608) 755-3100 for questions about animals, and the DNR advises calling a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before assuming a wild animal needs help. Those numbers serve living animals, not carcasses.
For the statewide version of this breakdown, see our guide to who picks up dead animals in Wisconsin.
Why Janesville gets the dead-animal calls it does
Janesville is built on both banks of the Rock River, and the river is the city's main wildlife corridor. The Rock River Parkway, Traxler Park, Riverside Park and Palmer Park follow the water and the ground near it, and behind them runs something most Wisconsin cities do not have: the City's own greenbelt system, which it describes as nearly 500 acres and 15 miles of natural drainage ways that "provide habitat for a diversity of plants and animals", with homeowners' lots backing onto them. Deer, raccoon, skunk and opossum use those strips to reach yards across the city. The older neighborhoods around downtown, Courthouse Hill, Look West, Old Fourth Ward and Prospect Hill, hold houses from the 1800s with porches and crawl spaces, and squirrels get into the attics. Deer cross I-39/90 along the city's east side and the US 14 and US 51 corridors, most often from October into December. Janesville also runs its own Sanitary Landfill, which shapes what happens to a deer carcass here.
Janesville splits the question three ways. On public property the City's Animal and Pet Ordinances page says "For removal of dead animals on public property, please contact City Services at (608) 755-3110", and the City's Online Service Requests system lists "Dead Animal in the Street" under Animal Services; the system needs an account login and the page says emergencies go to 911. In the trash, the City's Trash & Recycling Collection page lists "Dead Animals" among the items "banned from trash collection" that "should NOT be placed in a trash (blue lid) or recycling (gray lid) cart". At the City's Sanitary Landfill, 525 Black Bridge Road, the Deer Disposal Policy accepts deer carcasses "during the deer hunting season", September through January, from Rock County residents only, kept separate from other waste. Rock County's Public Works Highway Division (608-757-5450) publishes no carcass policy, and the DNR's directory sends a car-killed deer on a state highway in Rock County to the Sheriff at (608) 757-2244. A carcass in a yard, under a deck or inside a building is the owner's to arrange, and that is independent operator work; availability for a Janesville address is checked on the call rather than asserted here.
Communities around Janesville: Downtown Janesville, Courthouse Hill, Look West, Old Fourth Ward, Prospect Hill, Rock River Parkway, Palmer Park, Riverside Park, Traxler Park, Rockport Park, Town of Janesville, Town of Harmony, Town of La Prairie, Town of Rock, Milton, Edgerton, Footville, Orfordville, Beloit.
Any private-property work in Janesville would be done by an independent operator, if one is available for the address, and disposal is that operator's to arrange under the rule covering that species in that county. DNR's guidance for handling dead wildlife is gloves or an inverted bag, never bare hands. A raccoon, skunk, bat or fox that a person or pet has been in contact with is a question for the local health department.
What do people call about in Janesville?
Common around Janesville: deer along the Rock River, through the city's greenbelts and on I-39/90, US 14, US 51, WIS 11 and WIS 26, heaviest from October into December; raccoon and opossum under porches and in the crawl spaces of the older houses in Courthouse Hill, Look West, Old Fourth Ward and Prospect Hill; skunk under sheds and decks on lots that back onto a greenbelt; squirrel and bat in attics across the city. Found one in a Janesville yard? Start here. Odor, nothing in sight? The five places to check first.
Dead Deer Removal
Open this page →Dead Raccoon Removal
Open this page →Dead Skunk Removal
Open this page →Dead Opossum Removal
Open this page →Dead Squirrel Removal
Open this page →Dead Bird Removal
Open this page →Dead Animal in Yard Removal
Open this page →Dead Animal in a Wall
Open this page →Dead Animal Removal Cost
Open this page →What does dead animal removal cost in Janesville?
No Janesville or Rock County page prices the removal of a dead animal, so this page states no figure. The landfill's published 2026 fees run at $46.00 per ton with minimums of $12.00 for a passenger vehicle and $20.00 for larger vehicles, and no charge for 96 gallons or less from a Janesville resident, but the Deer Disposal Policy names no deer-specific fee, so what a deer drop-off costs is a question for the Solid Waste Manager at (608) 755-3110. Disposal also shapes any private quote here: a carcass cannot go in a Janesville cart, and the landfill's published deer window runs September through January. An independent operator names the price on the call after hearing the animal, where it is and how it is reached.
Nearby Wisconsin pages
The closest metros to Janesville with their own pages, each with what that city publishes, the road split and the species people report.
Janesville dead animal questions
Janesville has a "Dead Animal in the Street" request. What does it cover, and how do I file it?
Can a bagged squirrel or raccoon go in the Janesville trash cart?
Can I take a deer carcass to the Janesville landfill?
A deer is lying on I-39/90, US 14, US 51 or a Rock County road. Who removes it?
A dead deer or raccoon is in the greenbelt behind my Janesville house. Is that mine or the City's?
My pet died at home, or I found a dead cat or dog in Janesville. Who do I call?
Is there an operator for my Janesville address?
Janesville Dead Animal Removal
Call to discuss the situation. Availability for a Rock County address depends on current operator coverage; any price is quoted on the call.