Rose Hill, NC Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

Section 90.05(A) designates the entire corporate area of Rose Hill a bird sanctuary, invoking the authority North Carolina gives municipalities to do so under G.S. § 160-188 (cited by the town itself at § 90.01(E)). Building on that designation, § 90.05(B) makes it unlawful to hunt, trap, shoot, kill, or otherwise take any bird within the town limits. The town carves out only two narrow exceptions, both tied to specific state law: birds already classed as a pest under G.S. §§ 113-300.1 through 113-300.3, the Structural Pest Control Act (G.S. § 106-65.22), or the Pesticide Law (G.S. § 143-434); and birds taken under a permit the NC Wildlife Resources Commission issues under G.S. § 113-274.

Outside those two carve-outs, the ban applies without regard to species or season, and it sits inside Chapter 90's general animal-control scheme, meaning the same Animal Control Officer who handles dog and cat complaints is charged under § 90.04(A) with enforcing all town animal ordinances, birds included. Because § 90.99 sets the penalty scheme for the whole chapter, a bird-sanctuary violation is treated the same as any other chapter 90 offense: a misdemeanor punishable under G.S. § 14-4, plus the option of a civil citation carrying a minimum $75 penalty from the Animal Control Supervisor, independent of any criminal charge. The town adopted the current version of these provisions by ordinance passed May 8, 2018.