Who’s Responsible For Cleaning Up Minnesota’s Roadkill Mess

Weekends are made for driving...at least the next several are for my family, and while we were putting on the miles this weekend something stuck out to me, it seems that there was ALOT of dead deer on the side of the interstate, as well as on the sides of some highways we were driving on. What gives? When I was thinking about who is responsible for the cleanup, I couldn't come up with a clear answer. Here is who is responsible for a dead animal in the roadway.

Who handles the roadkill in Minnesota?

There are a few different entities that handle keeping the roads and roadside clear of dead animals, but it depends on what type of road the animal ends up on.

• Interstate or State Highway - The Minnesota Department of Transportation is ultimately responsible for removing the dead animal. This was previously a job for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources up until 1987, when the law was changed, giving the cleanup to MnDOT.
• Township/City/County Road - The municipality is responsible for the cleanup of roadkill on these roads. You'll have to get hold of the local highway/transportation department and let them know where the animal is so they can dispose of it responsibly.

How do you report a dead animal to MnDOT?

They've made it fairly easy to report a dead animal to the Department of Transportation for dead animals along state highways and interstates. You can report the animal by calling 511, or going to 511mn.org and then using the Report a Concern form on their website, selecting "Remove Animal From Road" as the issue.

County, Township, and City roads are a little bit trickier to report, but the best thing to do would be to reach out to the highway department and let them know about the animal. There is one exception to that rule: if the dead animal poses a safety risk, you should dial 9-1-1 to report the animal.

Why the rise in animal/vehicle impacts?

The sheer amount of deer carcasses I saw over the weekend on just I-94, 610, and I-35 was double digits, so why are we suddenly seeing so many car/deer collisions? The University of Minnesota online states that the most likely time you'll have a car/deer collision is between October and December, but late spring can see an uptick due to birthing season, where adolescent deer are kicked out, making room for the newly born fawns.

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I've also reached out to the Minnesota Department of Transportation about my question about removal and why there seem to be more dead deer than normal on the roadside. I'll update this if and when I receive their answers.