Death, Crime Scene and Biohazard Cleanup in Snohomish County

In Snohomish County that means death cleanup, crime scene and trauma cleanup, and hazard cleaning for biohazards, from Everett to Lynnwood and Marysville. In Snohomish County, biohazard and trauma cleanup is done by independent private companies that a family, landlord or property manager hires directly. A biohazard is material, such as blood or other body fluids, that may carry germs. When a death is sudden or unexpected, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office¹ comes first, and once the scene is released, Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company.

Biohazard Network does not do the cleanup. You hire the company and work with it directly. This page covers the county offices that may be involved, travel across the county, and the page for your city.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office comes first

Snohomish County uses a medical examiner system. A medical examiner is a public official whose office investigates certain deaths. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office¹ determines the cause and manner of death of persons who die suddenly, violently, or unexpectedly while in apparent good health. Under RCW 68.50.010, jurisdiction over the body in deaths like these is vested in the county coroner or medical examiner.

Police or the medical examiner control a scene until they release it. Scene release means the officials have finished their work and the space is handed back to the owner or family. Cleanup waits until then, so ask the investigator whether the scene has been released. To reach an investigator, call the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office¹ at 425-438-6200; investigators are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The office publishes an Information Guide for Families that answers common questions about next steps and the office’s involvement. Its 2025 Information Guide and FAQ brochure points families to the office’s website for local funeral homes and crematoriums, bereavement support, biohazard cleanup, body donation services and other resources.

You may find the office’s Biohazard Cleanup Services list there. The office says the list is for convenience only and is not comprehensive, and that being on it or off it is neither an endorsement nor disapproval. Because the office also says it does not assume responsibility for the quality of any listed company’s services, your own questions before hiring still matter.

When the Snohomish County Health Department may matter

Some programs of the Snohomish County Health Department² fit specific situations. Its Everett (Main Office) phone is 425-339-5200.

Needles, medicines and waste

Sharps are needles, syringes, lancets and blades that can puncture skin; leave any you find in place and point them out to the cleanup company. For leftover medicines, look at the department’s Medicine Disposal program. Biomedical waste is Washington’s legal term for certain listed waste, including discarded human blood and sharps waste, and the department’s Garbage & Waste and Hazardous Waste programs cover related questions. Ask any company how it will package, haul and dispose of what it removes.

Sewage, mold and drug contamination

The department does not investigate indoor sewage spills; it offers Guidelines for Cleaning Indoor Sewage Spills instead, and it has a Report a Sewage Complaint page and a Septic program for on-site sewage systems. Its Mold & Air Quality page is information only, since the department does not identify or test mold and has no indoor air quality program. When water or mold damage is part of the job, see How Biohazard Cleanup Fits With Water, Fire and Mold Restoration. If you suspect a property was used to make drugs, the department has a Drug Contaminated Properties program; tell any company about that concern before work begins.

Getting a company to the property

Snohomish County stretches from the Cascade Mountains to Puget Sound, and five major routes connect it to other counties. When you first call a company, give the exact address and ask how it plans to reach you, because some routes slow travel. The US 2 trestle is the only direct highway route across the Snohomish River to I-5, and traffic on and near it has increased, with no carpool or transit lanes. A crew coming by SR 522 should know that the section between Paradise Lake Road in Maltby and the Snohomish River is still one lane in each direction. For an afternoon visit near Lynnwood, plan around traffic that often backs up on northbound I-405 near the I-5 interchange.

Access can also be seasonal. The Mountain Loop Highway between Granite Falls and Darrington has an annual winter closure, normally early November until the end of May, and a 14-mile stretch of it is gravel, so mention any property reached that way at the first call. If the property is on Whidbey Island, the WSF ferry between Mukilteo and Clinton is a major link to the greater Puget Sound region, so ask whether the company serves the island.

When a home has been affected by hoarding

Hoarding is a recognized condition, and the person living in the home deserves respect throughout. Ask any company how it will involve that person, or you, in choosing what to keep and what the person decides to let go. The Snohomish County Health Department²’s Nuisance Properties program relates to unsanitary housing. If animals live in the home, Snohomish County Animal Services covers unincorporated Snohomish County, while Everett Animal Control, the Animal Control Unit, Lynnwood Police Department, and the Community Service Unit (CSU), Marysville Police Department cover their cities. If the person is an older parent, Snohomish County Long-Term Care & Aging³ is the county’s aging services resource.

Cities in Snohomish County

Everett

Everett is a first-class charter city and home to the Port of Everett Marina, whose 13-lane boat launch is the largest public boat launch in Washington. Providence Regional Medical Center Everett has an emergency department and a Level II Trauma Center. See Biohazard and Trauma Cleanup in Everett, WA.

Lynnwood

Lynnwood is an incorporated city with Scriber Lake Park, a lake, wetlands and urban forest, at its center, and Lynndale Park, its largest park, in west Lynnwood. See Biohazard and Trauma Cleanup in Lynnwood, WA.

Marysville

Marysville is an incorporated city whose downtown sits next to I-5, starting at the waterfront on Ebey Slough, where Ebey Waterfront Park has a boat ramp. See Biohazard and Trauma Cleanup in Marysville, WA.

Insurance and payment

Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work, depending on the policy. Check with your insurer before work starts, and ask the company whether it will bill your insurer and what payment it expects.

Checking a company

Before you hire, ask a company how its work follows OSHA’s standard on bloodborne pathogens (germs carried in blood), 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), and look the business up in the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business. Biohazard Cleanup Certifications Explained walks through what those standards cover and how to read the lookup.