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Minneapolis and five neighboring cities

Biohazard and crime scene cleanup in Minneapolis

After a death, a crime or a bad injury in a home or a car, the cleanup should not fall to the family. Call this number to talk with an independent biohazard cleanup company that works in Minneapolis.

Call (612) 493-4397

Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

  • Houses, apartments and vehicles
  • An independent local company does the work
  • Nothing is agreed until you say yes
Two workers in white coveralls and respirators carry red biohazard boxes down the snowy steps of a brick building
Illustration. Not a real job or address.

What happened

Pick the situation closest to yours

Each page says what usually happens next, what to ask the company and who may help pay.

The medical examiner

Which office is involved depends on the county

Deaths in Minneapolis, Edina, Hopkins and Brooklyn Center go to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner in Minnetonka. Its number, 612-215-6300, is answered 24 hours a day.

Fridley and Columbia Heights are in Anoka County, so the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Ramsey handles deaths there. Its number is 763-324-4400.

Either way, the family chooses a funeral home, and the funeral director collects the person from the medical examiner. The cleanup company has no part in that, and it should not start until the police and the examiner have released the home.

A woman in a sweater sits at a kitchen table by a frosted window, talking on the phone

Paying for it

Minnesota can reimburse crime scene cleanup

The Minnesota Crime Victims Reimbursement Board lists crime scene clean-up among the losses it can repay after a violent crime in Minnesota. A family member, the victim's estate or the person who paid the bill can apply.

Three conditions trip people up. The crime has to be reported to police within 30 days. The claim has to be filed within three years. Insurance and other sources are used first, so keep every invoice and any letter from your insurer.

More on insurance, landlords and estates is in who pays for cleanup.

An empty bedroom with oak floors and white walls in winter light

On the phone

What a call is like

  1. You describe what happened

    Say what kind of place it is, which rooms are affected and whether the police or medical examiner have finished. There is no script.

  2. The company explains the work

    Ask what they would remove, how they clean and disinfect, and how they dispose of the waste.

  3. You ask about price and insurance

    Ask how they price the job and whether they deal with insurers directly. Ask for the price in writing.

  4. You decide

    You can say yes, ask for time or call someone else. Saying no costs you nothing.

Around Minneapolis

Nearby cities

The service area page lists Minneapolis neighborhoods and what to do if you live just outside them.

Brick and stone houses with steep gables on a leafy street in late autumnEdinaEdina's own police answer a non-emergency number, and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner handles deaths.Two-story brick storefronts with apartments above on a snowy main streetHopkinsWho to call when you are not sure the police are finished, and what the records desk can tell you.A three-story brick apartment building with a central entrance in winterBrooklyn CenterPolice matters here start with 911 or the lobby phone, even when it is not an emergency.Low one-story houses with attached garages on a snowy suburban streetFridleyFridley is in Anoka County, so a different medical examiner's office is involved.Older wood-frame houses with front porches on a quiet street with a dusting of snowColumbia HeightsAn Anoka County city, so a different medical examiner keeps belongings and a different dispatch center answers.

Common questions

Is bio hazard cleanup the same as crime scene cleanup?

Mostly, yes. Crime scene cleanup is one kind of biohazard cleanup. The same companies handle deaths, injuries, suicides and hoarding where blood, fluids or waste are involved.

Must I stay in the house while they work?

Usually not for the whole job. Many families let someone in at the start, then leave. Ask the company what it needs from you and whether it can work while you are away.

Can I clean it myself?

You can, but blood and other fluids can carry disease and often soak further into floors and walls than they appear to. A trained company wears protective gear and disposes of the waste properly.

What does it cost?

It depends on the size of the area, how far fluids reached into floors or walls, how much has to be removed and how long the place was closed up. Ask for a written price before work starts.

When you are ready, call

You will speak with an independent cleanup company that works in and around Minneapolis. Describe what happened in your own words and ask what they would do. You decide whether to go ahead.

Talk to a cleanup company

Call (612) 493-4397

Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Calls may be recorded. More in the referral disclosure and privacy policy.

Call (612) 493-4397