Bowie, MD Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Sanctuary area
- Entire City of Bowie
- Prohibited acts
- Trap, hunt, shoot or kill any bird
- State carve-out
- Birds unprotected under Md. Nat. Res. § 10-101
- Exception
- Trapping to protect life or property
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 30 days jail
Summary
The City of Bowie has designated its entire corporate area a bird sanctuary under § 4-3 of the City Code. Inside that sanctuary it is unlawful to trap, hunt, shoot or otherwise kill any domestic or wild bird, subject only to a state-law carve-out for birds Maryland does not protect and a narrow exception for protecting human life, a bird's own life, or property.
Designation of City as a bird sanctuary. The area embraced within the corporate limits of the City is hereby designated as a bird sanctuary. ... Prohibited acts. It shall be unlawful to trap, hunt, shoot or otherwise kill, within the sanctuary established by Subsection A hereof, any domestic or wild bird, provided that nothing contained herein shall be construed to supersede or bestow protected status on birds considered to be unprotected by state law, the Natural Resources Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, § 10-101, as amended from time to time.
Full Breakdown
Section 4-3A of Chapter 4, Animal Control, declares 'the area embraced within the corporate limits of the City' a bird sanctuary. Subsection B then makes it unlawful to trap, hunt, shoot or otherwise kill any domestic or wild bird within that sanctuary, though it expressly does not override or grant protected status to birds that Maryland's Natural Resources Article, § 10-101, treats as unprotected, such as species the state itself does not shield. The City Manager is authorized under Subsection C to post signs at locations approved by the City Council giving notice of the sanctuary rule, and Subsection D carves out an exception allowing trapping when necessary to protect human life, the life of the bird itself, or property from damage or destruction.
Because Chapter 4's fixed-fine penalty list at § 4-22C names only §§ 4-4, 4-5B, 4-6, 4-7A through D, 4-8, 4-13, 4-16, 4-17 and 4-18, a § 4-3 violation is not on that list and instead falls to Chapter 1's general misdemeanor penalty.
Violations & Fines
Because § 4-3 is not among the sections § 4-22C names as a fixed-fine municipal infraction, killing, trapping, hunting or shooting a bird within Bowie in violation of § 4-3 falls under City Code § 1-6B's general misdemeanor penalty: a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to hunt birds anywhere within Bowie city limits?
Does the Bowie bird sanctuary protect species Maryland does not protect?
What is the penalty for violating Bowie's bird sanctuary rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bowie
Compare Bowie to another location·View the Maryland animal ordinances overview
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