Rancho Cordova, CA Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- RCMC § 9.04.020
- Protected scope
- Birds, nests, eggs within cemetery boundaries only
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
- Infraction alternative
- $100 first offense, $200 second, $500 further
- Origin
- Sacramento County Code § 309 (1945), adopted 2003
Summary
Rancho Cordova's municipal code protects birds only within city cemetery grounds: Municipal Code Section 9.04.020 makes it unlawful to destroy, injure, or molest any bird, bird's nest, or bird's eggs inside the boundaries of any cemetery in the city, alongside a ban on damaging cemetery trees, shrubs, plants or flowers. The city has no broader, standalone bird-protection ordinance outside cemetery boundaries.
No person shall cut, break, pluck, remove or in any manner destroy or injure any tree, shrub, plant or flower, or destroy, injure or molest any bird or any bird's nest or any bird's eggs within the boundaries of any cemetery located within the limits of the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4660102; v2 updated 2026-03-02; through 03-02-2026).
Full Breakdown
04 of the Rancho Cordova Municipal Code, titled Desecration of Cemeteries, dates to Sacramento County Code Section 309 adopted in 1945 and was carried into the city code when Rancho Cordova incorporated in 2003 (Ord. 20-2003, Ord. 21-2003). 020 bars anyone from cutting, breaking, plucking, removing or otherwise destroying or injuring any tree, shrub, plant or flower, and separately bars destroying, injuring or molesting any bird, any bird's nest, or any bird's eggs, but only within the boundaries of a cemetery located inside the city limits.
040). 190: any person who violates a code provision that carries no stated penalty is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or six months in county jail, or both, though the city prosecutor may instead charge the offense as an infraction carrying escalating fines of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for each further violation. There is no separate citywide ordinance protecting birds, nests or eggs outside cemetery property.
Violations & Fines
Violating Section 9.04.020 is charged as a misdemeanor under the citywide default penalty in Section 1.01.190, exposing a violator to a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both. The city prosecutor may instead file the offense as an infraction, which carries a $100 fine for a first violation, $200 for a repeat violation within a year, and $500 for each additional violation of the same section within that year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rancho Cordova have a citywide bird-protection ordinance?
What happens if someone violates the cemetery bird provision?
Where did this cemetery ordinance come from?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rancho Cordova
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