St. Louis County, MO Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Where it applies
- County parks, parkways, recreational areas only
- Bird protection
- Unlawful to molest any bird or bird's nest
- Wildlife rule
- No pursuing, catching, killing, feeding, or disturbing wildlife
- Hunting exception
- Only Council-authorized Dept. of Conservation archery hunts
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine and/or 1 year in county jail
Summary
Inside any St. Louis County park, parkway, or recreational area, it's illegal to molest a bird or bird's nest, or to pursue, catch, kill, feed, touch, tease, or otherwise disturb any wildlife or its nesting and breeding activity. The rule is park-specific: it doesn't reach birds or wildlife on private property or public land outside the county park system.
It shall be unlawful for any person to disfigure, damage, or in any way injure or destroy either in whole or in part, or carry away any tree, shrub, plant, flower, stone, or stone work, bench, chair, seat, stand, structure, fence or property, or thing whatsoever in any park; or molest any bird, bird's nest, fish, or animal or anything belonging to or kept therein... No person shall pursue, catch, kill, or take any wildlife in any manner except fishing in Department waterways as permitted. The feeding, touching, teasing, frightening, or intentional disturbing of wildlife, or Department domestic animals, or their nesting, breeding or other activities, is prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Traffic: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 616 of the County Code applies only inside 'St. Louis County parks, parkways and recreational areas under the jurisdiction of the St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation,' so its wildlife protections don't extend to a backyard bird feeder or a vacant lot outside the park system. 040 adds a broader wildlife chapter: no one may pursue, catch, kill, or take any wildlife in a county park except fishing in Department waterways as permitted, and feeding, touching, teasing, frightening, or otherwise intentionally disturbing wildlife, Department domestic animals, or their nesting and breeding activity is flatly prohibited.
That reaches beyond birds to any wild animal on park land, but nesting and breeding disturbance squarely covers bird nests too. The chapter carries one narrow hunting exception: the Director of Parks and Recreation may let the Missouri Department of Conservation run archery hunts to control overpopulated wildlife, but only after the County Council specifically authorizes that particular hunt, and hunters participating under that authorization are not in violation of the section. 1. 190 by a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment in the county jail for up to a year, or both.
Violations & Fines
Molesting a bird or bird's nest, or pursuing, catching, feeding, touching, or otherwise disturbing park wildlife, is enforced by the Department of Parks and Recreation's designated representatives under Section 616.185 and punished under Section 616.190: a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in the county jail, or both. Each incident can be charged separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to disturb a bird's nest in a St. Louis County park?
Can I feed ducks or geese at a county park?
Are there any legal hunts allowed in county parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis County
Compare St. Louis County to another location·View the Missouri animal ordinances overview
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