After a death at home in Fulton County
Local figures, typical costs and the first steps around Atlanta, for the person arranging the cleanup.
26% of homes in Atlanta were built before 1960, against 15% across Fulton County. Older plaster, wood floors and ductwork can change what has to be removed.
- Calls answered 24/7
- Scope and price in writing on request
- Plain answers on cost and who pays
- State rules checked at the source
What happens when you call
Call (855) 675-5912
Calls are answered at any hour, including weekends and holidays. Say what happened and where.
Wait for any release
If police or the medical examiner were involved, cleanup starts once they release the home; until then, keep the door closed and leave the area as it is.
Get the scope and price
After a walkthrough of the affected area, you can ask for the scope and price in writing before any work starts.
Biohazard cleanup across the Atlanta area follows the same steps, with calls answered 24/7.
In Atlanta, 51% of homes are in buildings with five or more units.
The answer for Fulton County
After a death at home in Fulton County, call 911 first, or call the hospice team if the death was expected and the person was under hospice care. Then keep the room closed and leave everything as it is until police or the medical examiner release the scene.
Responders decide who has authority over the body and the room. Once they release it, the family, landlord or executor can arrange cleanup. Until then, keep the door shut and keep children and pets out. Do not wipe, wash or move anything. If the death was a suicide and you or someone nearby is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Cleanup comes after that release. Unattended death cleanup removes soaked materials, treats the room and clears odor, so a family does not have to face it. Fulton County has 259,122 housing units, and a death in one of them can sit unnoticed for a while.
According to Census estimates, 47% of households in the county are one person, against 38% in the region and 28% in the state. Among residents 65 or older, 40% live alone, compared with 33% in the region and 25% statewide. CDC PLACES estimates put the share of adults who feel socially isolated at least sometimes at 34.9%. Fewer visitors means fewer people to notice something wrong.
Relatives often live far away, so they usually arrange things by phone, sometimes while a landlord holds the keys. Census estimates show 54% of homes in the county are rented and 51% are in buildings of 5 or more units, which is why a landlord or property manager is often involved. A family, landlord or executor can ask about crime scene cleanup in Georgia and ask whether a policy may cover part of the cost.
First calls after a death in Fulton County
| Step | Who | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 911, or the hospice team for an expected death | Police or paramedics come for an unexpected death; a hospice nurse pronounces an expected one |
| 2 | Police and the medical examiner or coroner | They confirm the death and decide whether to investigate |
| 3 | The medical examiner's office or a funeral home | The person is moved into their care |
| 4 | The home is released | Keep the room closed and leave the cleaning alone until then |
| 5 | The landlord and the insurer | Tell them before work starts, and keep photos and receipts |
| 6 | A biohazard cleanup company | Ask for the scope and price in writing before any work starts |
Atlanta figures behind this
- 47% of households in Atlanta are one person living alone, against 38% across Fulton County.
- In Atlanta, 54% of occupied homes are rented; the Fulton County share is 46%.
- 40% of people 65 or older in Atlanta live on their own, against 25% across Georgia.
How it works in every state
After a death at home, the first call is to 911 if no one has made it. Police or the medical examiner decide what happens next, and the person is moved into the care of the medical examiner's office or a funeral home. None of them clean the room.
Death cleanup starts after the home is released. Keep the door to the room closed, do not try to clean, and keep anything an insurer or the estate may need to see. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Who regulates biohazard cleanup in Georgia
Rules for biohazard cleanup and medical waste hauling in Georgia are set by state and local agencies. Ask any company which registrations it holds, and check them with the agency that issued them.
What this means around Atlanta
According to Census estimates, 47% of households in this part of Atlanta have one person, compared with 38% in the county and 28% in the state. In the same estimates, 40% of residents 65 or older live alone, against 33% in the county and 25% in the state. When someone lives alone, a death at home may not be noticed for some time, so the first steps often fall to a relative, a friend or a property manager who arrives later.
Housing shapes those steps too. Census estimates show that 54% of homes here are rented, compared with 46% in the county and 35% in the state, and 51% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units, compared with 41% in the county and 16% in the state. In a rented apartment, the landlord or building manager usually needs to be told, and shared walls and hallways make a prompt, careful response more important.
CDC PLACES estimates put adults who feel socially isolated at least sometimes at 34.9%, close to the county's 34.1%. Isolation can make it harder for neighbors to notice that something is wrong.
After calling 911 and waiting for the authorities to finish, the practical next step is to arrange unattended death cleanup before anyone returns to live in or sort through the space. A professional team can explain what the work involves and what to expect.
Atlanta figures that shape a cleanup
32% of older residents in Atlanta report a disability, compared with 30% in Fulton County.
CDC estimates that 12.8% of adults in Atlanta's ZIP codes have serious difficulty with memory or decisions, against 10.8% across Fulton County.
- 47% Households of one personFulton County: 38%
- 54% Homes that are rentedFulton County: 46%
- 40% Residents 65 or older who live aloneFulton County: 33%
- 7.6% Adults with difficulty living independently (estimate)Fulton County: 6.0%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023 5-year estimates; CDC PLACES 2024 release, model-based estimates from 2022 survey data.
Common questions around Atlanta
What should I do when someone dies at home?
If the death was unexpected, call 911, do not touch the person or clean anything, and keep others out of the room. Police and the medical examiner or coroner confirm the death and arrange for the person to be moved. If the person was in hospice, the hospice nurse pronounces the death and a funeral home can take the person into its care. Cleanup comes after the home is released.
Who do you call when someone dies at home?
Call 911 for an unexpected death. Police, paramedics or the fire department come, and the medical examiner or coroner is brought in. For an expected death in hospice, call the hospice team first, then the funeral home. A biohazard cleanup company is called only after the home is released, and only if the death went unnoticed or left blood or fluids in the room.
What happens when someone dies at home in hospice?
A hospice caregiver pronounces the death, and a funeral home can take the person into its care. If the person was elderly and under a doctor's care, an autopsy is usually not needed, and the doctor is told so the death can be recorded. A biohazard cleanup is needed only if fluids reached the mattress, the furniture or the flooring, and it starts once the funeral home has taken the person into its care.
What is considered an unattended death?
An unattended death is a death where the person died alone and was not found right away, sometimes for days or weeks. Fluids and odor spread into the mattress, flooring and walls in that time, which is why the home needs unattended death cleanup, also called decomposition cleanup. The medical examiner or coroner confirms the death, and the cleanup starts once the home is released.
How do you get rid of the smell after a death?
Remove the source first. The mattress, carpet, padding and any soaked subfloor are taken out and the surfaces underneath cleaned and disinfected. Then hydroxyl or ozone machines and HEPA air scrubbers run, sometimes for several days, and the heating and air ducts are checked because the odor travels through them. Air fresheners and household cleaners only cover the smell for a while.
Biohazard cleanup services for Atlanta
Crime scene, death, suicide, blood, trauma and hoarding cleanup around Atlanta, each with its costs and who pays.
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Trauma and accident cleanup
Once first responders have gone, blood and fluids are removed and the area disinfected. Ask about the trauma cleanup process on the call.
Call for trauma cleanup -
Crime scene cleanup
Once police release a scene, the blood and soaked materials are removed and every surface is disinfected; ask about how crime scene cleanup works.
Call for crime scene cleanup -
Unattended death cleanup
Death cleanup and decomposition cleanup start once the home is released. Start with a call about what unattended death cleanup involves.
Call for unattended death cleanup -
Hoarding cleanup
The cleanout starts with a walkthrough and a plan everyone agrees to. Ask about what hoarding cleanup involves on the call.
Call for hoarding cleanup -
Suicide cleanup
For families and landlords, the work is finished before anyone returns to the room. Start with a call about what suicide cleanup involves. In crisis? Call or text 988.
Call for suicide cleanup -
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup
After an injury, an illness or an accident, what soaked through is removed and every surface is disinfected; ask about the blood cleanup process.
Call for blood cleanup
Costs, rules and first steps in Atlanta
biohazard cleanup costs, Atlanta area
Typical prices for biohazard cleanup in the Atlanta area, with the cost drivers and who pays.
who pays for cleanup, Atlanta area
Insurance, landlords, estates and state help after a crime: who pays for a cleanup in the Atlanta area.
crime victim help around Atlanta
Help with cleanup costs after a crime in Georgia, and the rules that apply to cleanup companies and medical waste.
hoarding help, Atlanta area
How hoarding cleanup works around Atlanta, the five levels, what it costs, and how to help a relative.
One number for Fulton County
Call (855) 675-5912, answered 24/7, for cleanup anywhere in Fulton County.