Central Mississippi

Dead Animal Removal in Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson's code gives dead animals to the animal control division, by special pickup on call. The city pages we reviewed do not explain how that pickup works today, so ask animal control.

For a dead animal on your own property in Jackson. Whether an operator serves your address is settled on the call.

This page is about the City of Jackson, the state capital, in Hinds County. Neighbouring cities such as Clinton, Pearl, Ridgeland and Madison are separate cities, and this page does not cover them.

Roads and public ground in Jackson

For a state highway, Lafayette County's website says the Mississippi Department of Transportation handles dead animals in the roadway and lists (601) 359-7001, and Olive Branch's lists 1-866-521-MDOT (6368) for state-maintained roads. A city street is the City of Jackson's; the city's website offers a "Report an Issue" route and a non-emergency line, (601) 960-0794. A county road outside the city belongs to Hinds County.

At a home in Jackson

Jackson's code names a city route: §106-186 says dead animals "will be removed by special pickup on call to the animal control division." It does not say whether that means the curb, the yard or anywhere on a property, and the city pages we reviewed do not say either. Ask animal control first. If the special pickup does not reach the animal, the city pages we reviewed do not say what happens next.

Whether the special pickup reaches under a house or deck, into a crawl space or into an attic is a question for animal control. Where it does not, and 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 Jackson

Hinds County is not in any of MDWFP's 2026-2027 CWD Management Zones. MDWFP asks the public to report deer found emaciated, lame or immobile, or dead with no obvious cause of death, through its app, mdwfp.com/cwd or 1-800-BE-SMART.

Garbage and burial in Jackson

Do not put a dead animal in the garbage cart in Jackson: §106-186 says dead animals "shall not be placed in garbage containers for regular collection." Jackson's code (§18-15) allows a resident to bury a deceased pet within their own property, at a minimum depth of four feet, after obtaining the written consent of the superintendent of animal control.

When it was a pet

Jackson's code (§18-15) lets a resident bury a deceased pet within their own property at a depth of at least four feet, after obtaining the written consent of the superintendent of animal control. If a bat may have had contact with the pet, the Mississippi State Department of Health says the bat should be tested for rabies; its Office of Epidemiology is at 601-576-7725.

Jackson in numbers

Jackson is Mississippi's capital and largest city, with an estimated 141,449 residents in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It sits in Hinds County, which the Census Bureau estimated at 211,975 people. The city's dead-animal rule dates from a 1992 ordinance and has not been amended since, according to its code history.

By animal, or by where it lies

Other places on this site

• Madison CountyCentral Mississippi
• HattiesburgPine Belt