Tuscaloosa, AL Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

Sec. 4-6, adopted by Ord. No. 5405, Sec. 5, on September 10, 1996, prohibits any person from catching, killing or possessing a wild bird or animal within the city. It reaches beyond direct human conduct: a pet owner who 'intentionally allows or knowingly permits' a domesticated dog or cat they own, control or maintain to catch, kill or injure a wild bird or animal is equally liable, whether the bird or animal ends up alive or dead. The section also bars taking or willfully destroying the nest or den of any wild bird or animal, or keeping the nest or egg of such a bird in one's possession.

Two limits narrow the scope. First, the prohibition does not apply on the property of the animal's owner, so a landowner dealing with wildlife on their own land is not automatically in violation. Second, the section only applies except as 'otherwise may be permitted by state law,' meaning state wildlife regulations administered under Alabama law, including hunting seasons and depredation permits, control when they conflict with the city rule. Enforcement runs through the city's animal control officers under Sec. 4-3, who are authorized to investigate possible violations of any animal-related ordinance and issue citations, though those officers do not have the power of custodial arrest.

Because the section sits in Article I of Chapter 4 rather than the seizure provisions of Sec. 4-8, a wild bird or animal itself is not something the city 'impounds' the way it would a loose dog; the remedy is a citation against the person responsible.