Mississippi, private property
A Dead Animal Under Your House or Deck in Mississippi
Raccoons, opossums and skunks crawl under houses, porches and decks to shelter, and sometimes die there. None of the city and county pages we reviewed describes collecting an animal from under a structure, so where no city route reaches it, it is yours to arrange.
Will the city remove an animal from under my house?
None of the city and county codes and pages we reviewed describes collecting an animal from under a house, porch or deck. City routes are written around streets, rights-of-way and residences in general; a few, like Southaven's residential pickup, do not say how far they reach. Ask your city if it has a route; otherwise an independent operator, where one covers your address, can remove a carcass that can be reached through an existing opening.
Before you call anyone. Find where the smell is strongest and whether there is an existing way in: a crawl-space door, a vent, a gap under a porch step or a deck board that lifts. Do not cut anything.
Cases this page is for
- An animal under a deck reached from the open side or a lifting board.
- An animal under a porch reached through a lattice panel or step gap.
- An animal under a raised house reached through the crawl-space door.
- An animal under a shed or outbuilding that can be reached from the edge.
What falls outside it
Cutting decking, siding, skirting or flooring to get in. Sealing the gap the animal used, which is exclusion work. Live animals, trapping and pest control. None of these is offered through this site.
Houses on piers or a raised foundation have open space beneath them, and decks are often built close to the ground. The question that decides the job is whether the animal can be reached without cutting anything.
In an enclosed space under a house, odor can travel into the rooms above. How long it lasts depends on the animal's size, the temperature, humidity and airflow.
From call to removal
- Call or send the form: where the smell is strongest, how the space can be reached and which town you are in.
- Say what animal you think it is, if you know.
- Where an independent operator covers your address, it agrees the price and timing with you.
- The carcass is removed through an existing opening and taken for disposal.
About this situation
Does any Mississippi city remove animals from under houses?
None of the city and county codes and pages we reviewed describes it. Some cities run a general pickup from residences, such as Southaven's, without saying how far it reaches. Ask your city if you are unsure.
Will someone cut the deck to reach the animal?
Not through this site. Operators reach a carcass through an existing opening, such as an open side, a crawl-space door or a board that lifts.
Can the hole the animal used be closed?
Closing entry points is exclusion work, a separate trade. It is not offered through this site.
I cannot find the animal but the smell is under the floor. What now?
If there is a crawl-space access, the animal may be reachable from it. Read the odor page for how to narrow it down.
By animal
- RaccoonRaccoons often die in crawl spaces, attics and under decks. The State Department of Health says not to handle or touch one, alive or dead.
- OpossumOpossums shelter under houses and in attics, and a dead one is usually found by smell. Mississippi classes them as fur-bearing animals.
- SkunkA dead skunk brings two problems at once, the carcass and the smell. The Department of Health lists skunks among animals that can carry rabies.
Whose job is it? Who picks up dead animals Β· Deer carcass and CWD rules Β· How to dispose of a dead animal
By area: Jackson Β· Madison County Β· DeSoto County Β· Gulfport and Biloxi Β· Hattiesburg