Newport Beach, CA Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

26, Protection of Natural Habitat for Migratory and Other Waterfowl, opens with City Council findings that Newport Bay's waters contain important habitat for migratory waterfowl and other birds such as ducks, gulls, terns and pelicans, and that this habitat is best protected by replicating the natural environment, including not intervening in the propagation of waterfowl unless licensed by resource agencies. 020, Prohibition on Incubation, turns that finding into an enforceable rule: no person, unless permitted or licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, may incubate or otherwise assist in the propagation of eggs produced by waterfowl such as ducks, terns, gulls or pelicans found on or adjacent to Newport Bay.

010 imposes the same permit requirement on anyone keeping wild fowl or game birds outdoors in a cage or aviary in a residential district, exempting only small domesticated birds like parakeets and canaries. 050 requires the city to issue a warning with educational material for a person's first and second violations before any administrative citation is issued, explaining the water-quality and habitat benefits behind the chapter's prohibitions.