Joliet, IL Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 6-9
- Protected class
- Banded/marked pigeons only
- Fine range
- $150.00-$750.00 (Sec. 1-8)
- Related section
- § 6-8, fowl property damage
Summary
Joliet makes it illegal to catch, detain, kill or molest a banded or marked pigeon, whether the bird is a homing, high-flying or air-performing pigeon carrying an owner's identification. The rule protects racing and show pigeons even when they land on someone else's property.
No person, except the owner of the pigeon or other person lawfully in charge thereof, shall catch and detain or kill any homing, high-flying or air-performing pigeon, which at the time of its capture or detention, has upon its leg a seamless numbered band as issued by any national pigeon organization or by the United States Army, Navy or Marine Corps or which has upon its leg a band bearing the name or initials of its owner or which has the name of its owner stamped upon a tail or wing feather or any other mark whereby the owner may be identified. No person shall molest a banded or marked pigeon that has been grounded by injury or bad weather.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 200).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. S. Army, Navy or Marine Corps, or any band or feather mark identifying its owner. The same section separately forbids molesting a banded or marked pigeon that has been grounded by injury or bad weather, so a downed racing bird found in a Joliet yard cannot be captured, harmed or kept by the finder. 1, and sits in Chapter 6, Article I, Animals and Fowl, alongside the city's general fowl-property provisions. Joliet's code does not extend blanket protection to wild songbirds, migratory species or nuisance birds such as pigeons that are not banded; those situations fall to state and federal wildlife law, not this section.
A related provision, Sec. 6-8, separately makes it unlawful for an owner to let pigeons or domestic fowl damage roofs, walkways or gardens on private property, but that section addresses property damage by the bird's owner, not capture of someone else's marked bird. Anyone who finds an injured banded pigeon should contact the registered owner using the band information or turn the bird over to a rehabber rather than keep or harm it.
Violations & Fines
Violating Sec. 6-9 is a Code of Ordinances offense; because the section lists no dedicated fine, it falls under the general penalty in Sec. 1-8, punishable by a fine of not less than $150.00 nor more than $750.00 per offense, plus costs, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a banded pigeon that lands in my yard?
Does Joliet protect wild songbirds under this section?
What is the penalty for violating the pigeon protection rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Joliet
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