Rhode Island residents requested nearly 150 roadkill salvage permits in first year

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island’s new roadkill salvage program is seeing growing participation after the Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) issued nearly 150 permits during the program’s first year.

The law, which took effect in April 2025, allows residents to legally salvage certain animals killed in vehicle collisions, including deer, for personal use.

According to DEM officials, the majority of permits issued so far involved deer struck on Rhode Island roads. The agency said permits can be requested online or through environmental police officers after a collision is reported.

Rhode Island’s roadkill salvage program allows residents to legally collect certain animals killed in vehicle collisions after submitting a report to the RI DEM within 24 hours.

The report must include details such as the species, estimated age and sex of the animal, the location where it was found, and a photo. DEM officials said the permits are free, though each salvaged animal requires its own individual permit submission.

Wildlife species included in the program:

• Beavers
• Coyotes
• Fishers
• Gray and red foxes
• Muskrats
• Mute swans
• Pheasants
• Rabbits
• Raccoons
• Squirrels
• Turkeys
• White-tailed deer
• Woodchucks

According to the agency, the program reduces the workload for crews responsible for removing animal remains from roads across Rhode Island.

State officials say the program has operated smoothly during its first year, though some residents have expressed mixed reactions online as the practice becomes more widely known across Rhode Island.