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Dead Animal Removal in King County
Outside Seattle, King County's only codified pickup reaches an owner's dog or non-feral cat, for a fee. Wildlife goes to the state.
King County is the largest jurisdiction in Washington and, Seattle aside, one of the clearest. The county code contains exactly one dead-animal pickup, and a single definition inside that code decides who it helps. It is not a wildlife service and it was never written to be one.
Who is responsible for what
| Situation | Who handles it | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Owner's deceased dog or non-feral cat | Regional Animal Services of King County | $50 for in-field pickup of an unlicensed pet, under county code |
| Dead wildlife on private property | The property owner | RASKC routes wildlife questions to the Department of Fish and Wildlife |
| Small dead animal, disposal | The resident | Under 15 pounds may go in your own garbage can or dumpster |
| Animal of 15 pounds or more | The resident | Vet clinic, shelter or pet cemetery, or Cedar Hills landfill with a waste clearance |
| Inside Seattle city limits | Seattle Animal Control | A separate and broader service, covered on the Seattle page |
| State highway | WSDOT | Via Washington State Patrol or local law enforcement |
Doing it yourself here
King County Solid Waste publishes that small dead animals under 15 pounds may go in your own garbage can or dumpster, that anything heavier should go to a veterinary clinic, animal shelter or pet cemetery, and that you may bury an animal on your own property as long as it does not create a nuisance. The ordinary transfer stations will not accept a carcass of 15 pounds or more without an approved waste clearance.
Where that leaves wildlife on private ground
The county's single dead-animal pickup is bounded by a definition rather than by a policy statement: the code defines pet as any dog or any non-feral cat, and the pickup fee is written against pet. A raccoon under a deck, an opossum in a crawl space or a rat in a soffit is outside it by construction, and the county's own animal services page sends wildlife questions to the state.
Questions about King County
Which cities does the county service cover?
Regional Animal Services of King County serves unincorporated King County and 25 contracting cities, including Bellevue, Kent, Redmond, Sammamish, Shoreline, Issaquah, Mercer Island, SeaTac and Tukwila. Cities that run their own animal control, such as Renton, Auburn, Federal Way and Kirkland, publish their own scope.
Is the $50 waived if my pet is licensed?
The code charges the fee for an owner's deceased unlicensed pet, which strongly implies licensed pets are treated differently, but this site could not locate the provision that says so. It is reported here exactly as written rather than extended.
Does anyone clear a carcass from an unincorporated county road?
Not that King County publishes. The road maintenance pages and the road helpline page contain no dead-animal or carcass language, and the animal services page covers only live loose livestock on public roadways. This is genuinely unestablished rather than a refusal.
Sources for this page
- King County Code Title 11 · checked 22 September 2026
- King County Solid Waste, disposal restrictions · checked 22 September 2026
- Regional Animal Services of King County · checked 22 September 2026