Pierce County at a glance
- Who handles deaths
- Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office
- County seat
- Tacoma
- Main towns
- Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, Gig Harbor
- People
- About 967,000 (state estimate, 2026)
Sources: the county seat from the state Department of Enterprise Services, towns and people from the state Office of Financial Management (opens in a new tab), who handles deaths from the state's list of coroners and medical examiners, and each office's own page. Checked October 31, 2026.
Families and landlords in Tacoma, Puyallup, Lakewood and Gig Harbor use this page for death cleanup, trauma scenes and other biohazard cleanup. In Pierce County, biohazard and trauma cleanup is done by independent private companies that the family, landlord or property manager hires directly. When a death is involved, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 and law enforcement finish their work first, and cleanup can begin only after the scene is released. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company that serves Pierce County; it does not clean, remove or disinfect anything itself.
A biohazard is any material that can carry disease, such as blood or other body fluids. This page explains which public offices may be involved here, how the location of a property can affect getting a company there, and where to find the page for your city. You choose the company, hire it and work with it directly.
When someone dies at home
A medical examiner is the public office that looks into certain deaths to find out why they happened. Pierce County uses a medical examiner system, run by the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1. The office determines the cause and manner of death and investigates deaths in the county that are under its jurisdiction and of concern to public health, safety and welfare. Under RCW 68.50.010, that jurisdiction includes people who die suddenly while in apparent good health without medical attendance in the 36 hours before death.
Scene release means the police or the medical examiner have finished at the property and handed it back. Until that happens, neither you nor a cleanup company should start work. When you first call a company, tell it whether the home has been released yet.
Some of the office’s own guidance can help you plan the days ahead. Personal property other than money goes to the funeral home the legal next of kin chooses, so picking a funeral home early matters. Written examination reports may not be ready until months after the examination, which may affect paperwork such as insurance; the fee for one copy is waived for family members. For questions about a specific death, contact the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 at (253) 798-6494.
Where the health department fits
The county’s health department is the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department2. It does not clean homes, but several of its programs may matter to you.
- Biomedical waste and sharps. Biomedical waste is Washington’s legal term for certain medical-type waste, including discarded human blood and sharps waste. Sharps are items like needles, syringes, lancets and blades. The department’s Infectious Waste Management program permits and inspects businesses that generate, transport or treat infectious waste, so ask any company how its waste will be hauled and treated. For a stray needle, the Safely Remove Discarded Sharps brochure explains what to do, and the department offers a sharps response kit.
- Septic problems. A septic system treats household sewage on the property instead of sending it to a sewer. If one backs up into a home, see the department’s Septic System Failure information.
- Mold. Its Healthy Homes section has a Mold page.
- Housing concerns. The Healthy Housing program offers tenant and landlord resources, but it is not a hoarding or unsanitary-housing complaint program. The department’s contact list sends complaints about rodents, garbage and illegal dumping to Pierce County Code Enforcement.
To report a public health emergency, the department says to call its Duty Officer at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department2, (253) 649-1500.
Getting a company to the property
Where the property sits can shape the plan, so give the company the exact location when you call.
- Across the Narrows. Gig Harbor sits on Gig Harbor Bay across the SR 16 Tacoma Narrows Bridge from Tacoma. The bridge is tolled only for trips headed to Tacoma.
- Islands. On the Pierce County ferry, vehicles, drivers and passengers must be in position with tickets 20 minutes before departure or may not be allowed to board. Leaving Ketron Island needs a reservation at least 60 minutes ahead. Anderson Island gets gasoline and propane through weekly Monday ferry fuel runs. For island homes, ask the company how it will plan its ferry trips both ways.
- Rural areas. The Key Peninsula is made up of small communities in a distinctly rural setting, including Herron Island, Home, Key Center, Longbranch, Vaughn and Wauna. Carbonado, near the Carbon River in northern Pierce County, is the last town before Mount Rainier National Park. Ask whether the company regularly works in these areas.
When a home has become hard to live in
Hoarding is a recognized condition, and the person living in the home deserves patience and respect. A good plan lets that person take part in choosing what to keep and what to let go. If pets are in the home, animal control depends on location: Pierce County Animal Control, part of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, covers unincorporated Pierce County, Carbonado, South Prairie, University Place, Fife and Orting; City of Tacoma Animal Control covers Tacoma; Lakewood Animal Control covers Lakewood, DuPont and Steilacoom; Metro Animal Services, run by the City of Sumner, covers Sumner, Puyallup, Algona, Pacific, Bonney Lake and Edgewood; and Kitsap Animal Control covers Gig Harbor by contract, with complaints going through the Gig Harbor Police Department. For an older adult or a person with a disability, Aging and Disability Resources (ADR), a Pierce County program that runs the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), is a place to ask about support.
Cities in Pierce County
Tacoma
Tacoma is an incorporated city, home to Point Defiance Park and the Museum of Glass, which the Chihuly Bridge of Glass links to downtown. See biohazard and trauma cleanup in Tacoma.
Puyallup
Puyallup is an incorporated city, where Pioneer Park hosts the Puyallup Farmers Market and the Washington State Fair Event Center holds the fairgrounds. See biohazard and trauma cleanup in Puyallup.
Lakewood
Lakewood is an incorporated city and the host community to Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) and Camp Murray, with Fort Steilacoom Park and American Lake Park. See biohazard and trauma cleanup in Lakewood.
Gig Harbor
Gig Harbor is an incorporated city whose downtown waterfront includes Skansie Brothers Park and Jerisich Dock. See biohazard and trauma cleanup in Gig Harbor.
When water, fire or mold damage is part of it
Some scenes also involve water, smoke or mold. Our page on how biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration explains how those jobs can overlap and what to ask about them.
Checking a company before you hire
Ask any Pierce County company how its crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard3, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup (the IICRC, or Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, is a non-profit for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries), then look the business up yourself with the Department of Labor & Industries4 (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business4. The guide to biohazard cleanup certifications explained walks through what each of these means for you.
Who to call first
In an emergency, call 911.These official offices may be part of the first steps. They are government pages, not ours.
- Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (opens in a new tab)For local health questions, such as a home that was used as a drug lab.
- Washington Crime Victims Compensation Program (L&I) (opens in a new tab)If a crime happened, it may help with some costs, such as funeral expenses. It doesn't pay for cleanup.
- Verify a contractor (L&I lookup) (opens in a new tab)Look up whether a company is a registered contractor before work starts.
- Washington State Department of Health (opens in a new tab)State health rules, such as for drug lab cleanup and hantavirus.