Dead Animal Removal in West Bend, WI
Private-property removal Β· Phone quote before any visit Β· Independent operators where one covers your address.
Who is responsible for a dead animal in West Bend and Washington County, and one number for private property.
Who do I call for a dead animal in West Bend, 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 West Bend Department of Public Works (street maintenance) is the published contact: (262) 335-5079, Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; pubw@westbendwi.gov. 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 West Bend pages we reviewed offers collection from private property. For private property in West Bend, Wisconsin Dead Animal Removal connects you with the independent operator covering Washington County: call (414) 519-6688. What that operator takes on for your situation, and the price, are confirmed on the call.
Is dead animal removal free in West Bend?
West Bend publishes no dead-animal pickup. Public Works maintains the city's streets and alleys and answers at (262) 335-5079 on weekdays, but none of its pages names a carcass service, a fee or a reporting form, so a West Bend street report means asking Public Works directly. Washington County runs the one written deer program nearby, taking reports of vehicle-killed deer on county and state highways at its Highway Department and contracting out the pickup. Neither the county nor the city states a price, and neither calls the service free. Off the road, no city, county or DNR page offers collection. Anything on private property is the owner's responsibility; an independent operator covers Washington County, and what they take on is confirmed on the call.
| Where the animal is | Who is responsible | Phone | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public street or city property | City of West Bend Department of Public Works (street maintenance) | (262) 335-5079, Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; pubw@westbendwi.gov | Not published; no city page describes a dead-animal service |
| Interstate, US or state highway | WisDOT state highway deer program, reported in Washington County to the county Highway Department | 911 when the carcass blocks a lane; otherwise the Washington County Highway Department, 262-335-4435, or the Sheriff's Office evening and weekend non-emergency line, 262-335-4411 | State highway program; no charge to the caller is published |
| County trunk highway | Washington County Highway Department | 262-335-4435 (900 Lang Street, West Bend); Monday to Thursday 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. mid-April to mid-October, Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the winter schedule | Not published; the page names no charge to the caller |
| Private property: yard, deck, attic, crawl space | The owner arranges it; an independent operator covers this county | (414) 519-6688 | Quoted on the call |
βCall the Highway Department office to report a vehicle-killed deer on a county or state highway.β
βWashington County contracts for car-killed deer pick-up. Please allow at least 72 hours for pick-up to occur after reporting the deer.β
βFor county roads, contact the county.β
βRefuse must be drained and wrapped. Disposable diapers, animal waste, sawdust, kitty litter and ashes must be placed in plastic bags and securely tied prior to placement in garbage cans.β
βThe deer were found dead near the village of Richfield and the city of West Bend.β
βThe EHD virus does not survive in carcasses, and DNR staff cannot collect or remove deer that are suspected to have died from EHD.β
βThere is not a rehabilitator in Washington County for adult raccoons or deer.β
Quoted verbatim on 2026-10-18 from the City of West Bend Public Works, Refuse Collection, City Services, City Directory, Police FAQ, City Parks, Historic Districts, History and Deer Management Committee pages and Municipal Code chapters 10 and 11; the Washington County Highway Department and Sheriff's Office pages; WisDOT's Car-Killed Deer and WIS 144 project pages; DNR's Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions, sick-deer, Wildlife Health, Keep Wildlife Wild, deer waste disposal and EHD pages, its 18 August 2026 EHD news release and its 27 August 2026 EHD disposal sheet for municipalities (as posted by the Village of Germantown); the Washington County Humane Society wildlife and found-animal pages; the Town of West Bend lake districts page; and U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for West Bend (July 1, 2025 population estimate, V2025, and 2010 and 2020 land area).
What the pages do not say: Whether West Bend Public Works removes a dead animal or deer from a city street or terrace, and by what channel, fee or time; whether the department's 'Report an Issue' email link covers carcasses; whether a bagged carcass is accepted in the city refuse cart or at the Drop-Off Yard, since neither page lists animals among accepted or refused items; how the city applies code section 10.03(2) on private land; who holds the county's car-killed deer contract and whether it reaches city streets; how the county takes a deer report outside office hours other than through the sheriff; which landfill near West Bend accepts deer, since DNR's August disposal sheet names only a nearby GFL landfill limited to CWD-negative deer and DNR's disposal-site map returned no readable list for Washington County; whether the Washington County Humane Society accepts a deceased pet, which none of its pages addresses.
Who not to call: The Wisconsin DNR to collect a deer from your land. DNR says its staff will not pick up deer suspected of dying from EHD, and its page on sick or dead deer adds that the department usually lacks the resources to remove dead animals; the wildlife switchboard at 608-267-0866 records reports for the outbreak count; The Washington County Humane Society in Slinger, 262-677-4388, for a carcass. Its wildlife page says WCHS and most rehabilitators 'are only able to assist with injured or abandoned wildlife, not nuisance animals,' and none of its pages describes taking in a dead pet or wild animal; WisDOT for a deer on US 45, WIS 33 or WIS 144. Its Car-Killed Deer page lists no WisDOT number for these reports and sends them to the county sheriff, while Washington County's own page has drivers report state-highway deer to its Highway Department.
After hitting a deer, WisDOT tells drivers to get off the road and call law enforcement, and adds 'Do not attempt to move an injured deer.' For a hurt or orphaned rabbit, opossum, squirrel or wild bird, the Washington County Humane Society lists Wanakia Wildlife at 414-803-0388 and says neither it nor a rehabilitator can come out unless the animal is contained. DNR's customer line, 1-888-936-7463, answers from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., though its Keep Wildlife Wild page notes that DNR specialists and staff are not licensed to care for or rehabilitate wild animals.
For the statewide version of this breakdown, see our guide to who picks up dead animals in Wisconsin.
Why West Bend gets the dead-animal calls it does
West Bend's housing splits between the river and the edge of town, and each half hides a dead animal in its own places. The oldest blocks grew up around the westward bend of the Milwaukee River that named the city, beside the downtown historic district between West Washington and Walnut streets and up in Barton, the old north-side hamlet with a historic district of its own. Lots there are tight, with porches, crawl spaces and detached garages, and a sick raccoon or skunk tends to crawl under one of them to die. The newer subdivisions push the city out into farmland and woodlots; the Census Bureau measured West Bend at 14.57 square miles in 2010 and 15.53 in 2020, and new streets now back onto Ridge Run Park, the Quaas Creek parkway and the 78 acres of field and woods at Park Site "O" off South Main Street. Out there the carcass turns up under a deck, in a window well or at the tree line behind the lawn. Creeks tie the two halves together. Silver Creek and Silverbrook Creek run through Regner Park to the river, and the outflow from Silver Lake in the Town of West Bend reaches the river at the same park.
West Bend's municipal code mentions dead animals once, in its list of nuisances. Section 10.03(2) counts a carcass left unburied more than 24 hours after death among the public health nuisances, yet no Public Works, Refuse Collection, City Services or police FAQ page offers a pickup to go with it. The Public Works page describes the department's job as 'refuse and recycling collection, and maintaining streets, alleys, storm sewers, signal lights, and street signs,' with no mention of animals. The one written dead-animal program in the area belongs to Washington County and covers deer on county and state highways. A yard, porch, crawl space or attic is left to the owner. An independent operator can be asked about a carcass that is reachable without opening a wall or cutting drywall, and the call settles whether anyone is free to take a West Bend address.
Neighborhoods we serve in West Bend: Downtown West Bend, Barton, Regner Park, Riverfront Parkway, Quaas Creek, Ridge Run, Decorah Hills, Wingate Creek, Town of West Bend, Big Cedar Lake, Little Cedar Lake, Silver Lake, Town of Barton, Town of Trenton, Town of Polk, Jackson, Kewaskum, Slinger, Newburg, Allenton.
All West Bend field work is done by an independent operator, 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 West Bend?
Deer lead the 2026 list around West Bend. DNR's EHD page put Washington County at just over 1,300 reports of sick or dead deer with signs of the disease as of October 12, many found in or near water, and October and November add the deer-vehicle crashes WisDOT ties to the breeding season, on US 45, WIS 33 and WIS 144, which runs south of the city as the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive along the west side of Big Cedar Lake. The city also authorizes a limited, regulated nuisance hunt to hold its own herd down. Raccoon, skunk and opossum end up under porches and garages in the older blocks around downtown and Barton, and along the Riverfront Parkway and the Silver, Quaas and Wingate creek corridors; squirrels and bats are attic finds in the older houses; and the subdivisions backing onto Ridge Run Park, Albecker Natural Area and open fields see deer and rabbits at the back fence. Found one in a West Bend yard? Start here. Odor, nothing in sight? The five places to check first.
Dead Deer Removal
Open this page βDead Raccoon Removal
Open this page βDead Skunk Removal
Open this page βDead Opossum Removal
Open this page βDead Squirrel Removal
Open this page βDead Bird Removal
Open this page βDead Animal in Yard Removal
Open this page βDead Animal in a Wall
Open this page βDead Animal Removal Cost
Open this page βWhat does dead animal removal cost in West Bend?
Nobody near West Bend posts a removal price. The county's deer contract shows no charge to whoever reports the deer, and the city lists no dead-animal fee anywhere. Disposal got harder in 2026. DNR's August sheet for municipalities says the area 'has limited local disposal options at landfills,' that the nearby GFL landfill will take only deer tested negative for CWD, and that homeowners should work with their waste hauler before putting deer waste in a bin. The city's Drop-Off Yard takes refuse from residents holding a $25 yard permit sticker, and its page does not say whether a carcass counts as refuse. For a carcass on private property, any price is set by whichever independent operator agrees to the job, based on the animal, its location and the access.
Nearby Wisconsin pages
The closest metros to West Bend with their own pages, each with what that city publishes, the road split and the species people report.
West Bend dead animal questions
Hundreds of deer died in Washington County this year. If one is lying in my West Bend yard, will the DNR take it away?
Who do I call about a deer killed on US 45, WIS 33, WIS 144 or a county letter road near West Bend?
Will West Bend city crews remove a dead animal lying on a city street or terrace?
How long can a dead animal stay on a West Bend property before it breaks city code?
Can a dead squirrel or raccoon go out in a West Bend garbage cart?
Is there an operator for my West Bend address in 53090 or 53095?
West Bend Dead Animal Removal
Operator coverage is confirmed for Washington County. What the operator takes on, and the price, are settled on the call.