Orlando, FL Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 43.74
- Scope
- City-owned or City-controlled property only
- Banned conduct
- Kill, injure, capture, chase, poison, or remove wildlife
- Bird eggs
- Touching, breaking, or relocating eggs also banned
- Exception
- Governmental agencies acting within their authority
- Adopted
- Ord. of 7-17-1989
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine / 60 days jail (§1.08)
Summary
Orlando bans killing, injuring, capturing, chasing, or poisoning wildlife, animals, or birds, and disturbing bird eggs, on any property owned or controlled by the City of Orlando, under City Code § 43.74. The only exception covers governmental agencies acting within their official authority, such as wildlife or pest-control operations run by the City or another government body.
Except for activities of a governmental agency within the scope of its governmental authority, it shall be unlawful for any person to kill, injure, harm, capture, chase, poison, or remove any wildlife, animal, bird, or touch, break, remove, or relocate any bird egg located above, upon, or under any property owned or controlled by the City of Orlando.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 92).
Full Breakdown
74 protects wildlife specifically on City-owned or City-controlled property rather than citywide: it is unlawful for any person to kill, injure, harm, capture, chase, poison, or remove any wildlife, animal, or bird, or to touch, break, remove, or relocate any bird egg located above, upon, or under such property. The prohibition is broad in the conduct it covers, it reaches harassment and removal, not just killing, and it applies to eggs as well as live animals, which reaches nest disturbance on City parks, lakefronts, and rights-of-way.
The only carve-out in the section is for activities of a governmental agency acting within the scope of its governmental authority, which covers, for example, a City department or state wildlife agency conducting authorized removal or control work. 74 itself does not reach.
Violations & Fines
Section 43.74 sets no separate fine schedule, so a violation is enforced under the City Code's general penalty, § 1.08(3): a fine of up to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both. Because the section only covers property owned or controlled by the City of Orlando, conduct toward wildlife on private land falls outside this ordinance and is governed instead by state and federal wildlife law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I feed or catch birds in an Orlando city park?
Does Orlando's wildlife protection ordinance apply to my backyard?
What's the penalty for disturbing a bird nest on Orlando city land?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orlando
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Orlando to another location·View the Florida animal ordinances overview
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