Gulf Coast
Dead Animal Removal in Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi
The two largest Gulf Coast cities handle dead animals differently. Gulfport's code has the sanitary department collect small dead animals; Biloxi's routes them through the police department and sets a 12-hour limit.
For a dead animal on your own property in Gulfport or Biloxi.
Who removes a dead animal in Gulfport and Biloxi?
In Gulfport, City Code §4-92 says small dead animals "shall be placed and stored until collected by the sanitary department" in watertight covered cans, and §4-4 makes a person whose horse, mule, cow, dog or other animal dies in their possession remove it where the health officer directs. In Biloxi, City Code §9-1-11 says: "If a dead animal must be disposed of, the police department shall be notified between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m." It also bars dead animals from garbage containers and says no dead animal may remain undisposed for longer than 12 hours. Neither city's pages that we reviewed describe collecting wildlife or reaching under a structure.
Source: Gulfport Code of Ordinances §4-92, checked 2026-10-05.
This page is about the cities of Gulfport and Biloxi in Harrison County. This page does not cover unincorporated Harrison County, where the county pages we reviewed do not describe a dead-animal route, or other coast cities such as Long Beach and D'Iberville, which this site has not reviewed.
| Location of the animal | Responsible | Contact or note |
|---|---|---|
| A state highway or interstate, such as I-10 or Highway 49 | Mississippi Department of Transportation | (601) 359-7001, as listed by Lafayette County's website |
| A small dead animal in Gulfport | Gulfport sanitary department (Code §4-92) | Gulfport 311; animal control complaints 868-5959 |
| A dead animal that died in a Gulfport owner's possession | The owner, as the health officer directs (Code §4-4) | Gulfport 311 |
| A dead animal in Biloxi | Notify the Biloxi Police Department, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Code §9-1-11) | Police dispatch (228) 435-6100 |
| Under a house, in a crawl space or an attic, in either city | The city codes and pages reviewed do not say | Ask the city first |
From the Gulfport and Biloxi codes of ordinances and city websites, read 5 October 2026.
Roads and public ground in Gulfport and Biloxi
For a state highway, Lafayette County's website says MDOT handles dead animals in the roadway and lists (601) 359-7001. City streets are each city's. Harrison County's Road Department maintains county roads, but the county pages we reviewed do not describe a dead-animal route.
At a home in Gulfport and Biloxi
Gulfport's code treats small dead animals as something the sanitary department collects from covered cans, and puts an animal that dies in someone's possession on that person. It does not define "small." Biloxi's code sends every case to the police department during business hours and sets a limit: "In no event shall a dead animal remain undisposed for a period of longer than 12 hours." Biloxi also says the city will not remove dead animals from businesses that treat, handle or dispose of animals.
Neither city's code nor the city pages we reviewed mention collecting an animal from under a house or deck, from a crawl space or from an attic. If the animal can be reached through an existing opening, an independent operator, where one covers your address, can remove it without cutting anything.
Deer in Gulfport and Biloxi
MDWFP's Harrison CWD Management Zone, in effect since February 16, 2024, covers west Harrison and east Hancock counties. MDWFP's rule (40 Miss. Admin. Code Part 2, Rule 2.7) makes it unlawful to transport any portion of a cervid (deer) carcass outside an MDWFP-defined CWD Management Zone. MDWFP's pages we reviewed do not say how that rule applies to a deer found dead on private property; ask MDWFP at 1-800-BE-SMART before a carcass leaves the zone, and check its current map for the boundary.
Garbage and burial in Gulfport and Biloxi
Biloxi's code says plainly: "Dead animals shall not be placed in garbage containers." Gulfport's code instead describes storing small dead animals in watertight, covered cans until the sanitary department collects them.
In practice
In Biloxi, call the police department between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. and keep the 12-hour limit in mind. In Gulfport, ask through 311 whether the sanitary department will collect it. For wildlife, a larger animal or anything under the house, in a crawl space or attic, call this site's number or send the form.
The coast in numbers
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated Gulfport's population at 74,621 and Biloxi's at 48,144 in 2024, in a Harrison County of 213,730. Both city rules are old: Gulfport's sections carry 1963 code history and Biloxi's 1959.
By animal, or by where it lies
Gulfport and Biloxi: questions
Who do I call about a dead animal in Biloxi?
Biloxi's code says to notify the police department between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. The city lists police dispatch at (228) 435-6100.
How long can a dead animal stay on my property in Biloxi?
Biloxi's code says no dead animal may remain undisposed for longer than 12 hours.
Does Gulfport collect dead animals?
Gulfport's code says small dead animals are stored in watertight covered cans until the sanitary department collects them. It does not define "small." Ask through Gulfport 311.
Is the Gulf Coast in a CWD zone?
Part of it. MDWFP's Harrison CWD Management Zone covers west Harrison and east Hancock counties and has been in effect since February 16, 2024.
Other places on this site
What this page was built from
- Gulfport Code of Ordinances §4-92, read 2026-10-05
- Gulfport Code of Ordinances §4-4, read 2026-10-05
- City of Gulfport, Customer Service 311, read 2026-10-05
- Biloxi Code of Ordinances §9-1-11, read 2026-10-05
- City of Biloxi, contact directory, read 2026-10-05
- Harrison County Road Department, read 2026-10-05
- Lafayette County, report a dead animal on a roadway, read 2026-10-05
- MDWFP, Harrison CWD Management Zone notice, read 2026-10-05
- MDWFP, Carcass Transportation, read 2026-10-05
- U.S. Census Bureau, population estimates, read 2026-10-05