Crime and trauma scene cleanup in Lacey is done by independent private companies that remove and disinfect what is left behind after a crime, a serious injury or a death by suicide. Cleanup can start only after the police, and the Thurston County Coroner’s Office1 if someone died, have finished and released the property. Biohazard Network does not do this work; we can connect you with an independent local company that you hire directly.
If you are reading this after a sudden loss, take it one step at a time. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential support by call, text or chat at any time, and its counselors can also help someone who is worried about a loved one.
What this cleanup involves
This service covers cleanup after a crime, such as an assault, a homicide or a break-in where someone was hurt. It also covers a serious accident that was not a crime, and the time after a death by suicide. Crime and trauma scene cleaners take on this work so the family does not have to see or handle anything.
The concern is biohazards, meaning biological material such as blood that can carry germs harmful to people. Some of these are bloodborne pathogens, which are disease-causing germs carried in blood. Household cleaning is not enough, because fluids soak into porous materials, the soft or absorbent surfaces like carpet, padding and drywall that a wipe cannot reach. For a smaller spill with no police involvement, see blood and bodily fluid cleanup in Lacey.
Who controls the scene first
The police control the property first. If someone died, the Thurston County Coroner’s Office1 is involved too. A coroner is an official who investigates certain deaths; in Thurston County the coroner is elected, and the office investigates sudden, violent, unexpected and suspicious deaths in the county. Under RCW 68.50.010, jurisdiction over a death caused by violence, whether self-induced or otherwise, is vested in the county coroner or medical examiner.
Scene release means the police, and the coroner when involved, tell you they are finished and the property is back in your hands. Neither the police nor the county cleans, so the family, owner or property manager hires a company. Until the release:
- Do not clean, move or throw away anything in the affected area.
- Close the room off and keep children, pets and visitors out.
- Keep any paperwork the police or the coroner give you.
If the person was not found for some time, see unattended death cleanup in Lacey.
After a death by suicide
No family should have to clean up after losing someone this way. Deputy Coroners are in frequent contact with families and help with answers about the death and with next steps toward final arrangements, and the funeral home you choose generates the death certificate. The cleanup company handles the physical work, so you can stay away while it is done. If privacy matters to you, ask before hiring how the company handles discretion, including what its vehicles look like. The Coroner’s Resources page also lists bio-hazard clean-up companies under the heading “Bio-Hazard Clean-Up Services,” so ask any company you consider the same questions.
For property managers and employers
After an accident at a rental or a workplace, keep people away from the area and do not ask maintenance staff or coworkers to clean it themselves. When the work is done, ask the company for written records of what was removed, what was disinfected and how the waste was disposed of. Lacey is an incorporated city, so if building materials must be replaced, the City of Lacey’s Community and Economic Development Department handles land use and construction permitting.
What to expect from the company you hire
The company’s crew works in protective equipment such as gloves, suits and respirators. Ask the company to explain its plan, which may include:
- Containment, meaning sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread.
- Removal of porous materials that cannot be made safe.
- Disinfection, meaning treating surfaces with products that kill germs.
- Odor work after the source is gone; see odor remediation in Lacey.
- Records and photos you can give an insurer.
Some of what is removed is biomedical waste, a category in Washington law that includes discarded human blood, materials containing free-flowing blood, and sharps waste such as used needles. Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission rules require a company that collects, transports and disposes of biomedical waste to keep an operating plan that keeps it separate from other solid waste, so ask who will haul it. Do not take affected items to a medication drop-off; the Unwanted Medications page of the Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department2 says those sites take no sharps or bloody or infectious waste.
Before you hire, ask a company how its work follows OSHA’s Bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.10303, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the IICRC, the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit organization for the cleaning and restoration industries. Then look the business up yourself with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business tool, and read what these checks mean before you sign anything.
Does insurance cover crime scene cleanup?
Homeowners or business insurance sometimes covers this work, but policies differ. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner4 (OIC) says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim, and that after a crime you should notify police and keep a copy of the report. It also says homeowners have the right to choose their own contractor for covered repairs, and warns that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights, so read anything a company asks you to sign. If you rent, the OIC notes that a landlord’s policy does not cover a renter’s personal property.
Usually covered: Homeowner insurance protects your home and belongings from damage caused by specific risks, says the Insurance Commissioner’s page on how home insurance works. Insurance companies can’t deny your claim if a covered loss is due to domestic abuse and you didn’t help cause the loss; if you file a claim for a property loss, you’ll also need to file a police report, says the Commissioner’s page on domestic abuse and insurance.
Usually not covered: A policy may exclude losses caused by intentional or fraudulent acts of anyone it insures, under RCW 48.18.550.
Ask your insurer: “What does my policy cover for cleanup after a crime, a serious injury or a suicide in my home, and do any exclusions apply?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)4
The Crime Victims Compensation Program
L&I5’s Crime Victims Compensation Program5 lists crime scene cleanup under what it does not pay for. It may still help a family with grief counseling, mental health treatment, medical and dental treatment or funeral expenses, but only after primary insurance, since it calls itself the payer of last resort. To qualify, a person must have been physically injured or mentally traumatized by a gross misdemeanor or felony in Washington, and the crime must have been reported to law enforcement with cooperation in the investigation.
Lacey and Thurston County details
The Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department2, whose programs include a Solid and Hazardous Waste Program, has a public line at 360-867-2500. For more local services, see the Lacey city page and the Thurston County page.
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.
- Thurston County Coroner (opens in a new tab)After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until this office is done.
- Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (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.