Washington County, MN Animal Ordinances: Coyote Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Ordinance No. 218, Ch. V § 2
- Authority holder
- Parks Director (Public Works Director or designee)
- Species named
- none, general 'animal populations' language
- Purpose stated
- health and safety of park and users
- Related tool
- Director rules and regulations, Ch. VIII § 3
Summary
Washington County's Parks Ordinance No. 218, Chapter V, Section 2 gives the Parks Director discretionary authority to initiate wildlife population management techniques, such as culls, in county parks and conservation areas when needed, but names no specific animal like coyotes or deer.
The Director may initiate wildlife population management techniques, as needed, to control and manage animal populations within the park or conservation area to provide for the overall health and safety of the park, conservation area, park or conservation area users, and park or conservation area natural resources.
Full Breakdown
Chapter V, Section 2 of Parks Ordinance No. ' The Director is defined in Chapter I, Section 3(i) as the Director of Public Works or a designee, and this authority sits directly after the prohibition on killing, trapping or harassing wildlife (subsection a) and the ban on feeding wildlife or feral animals (subsection b), so a Director-initiated cull or hazing program is the ordinance's built-in exception to those general protections. The text does not name coyotes, deer or any other species, set population thresholds, or describe hazing methods; those operational decisions are left to the Director's discretion, exercised through the 'rules and regulations relative to these Ordinances' the Director may issue under Chapter VIII, Section 3.
Any management action still falls under the same Chapter VIII enforcement structure, with Washington County Sheriff's Office deputies and Parks Division staff empowered to enforce park rules generally.
Violations & Fines
The ordinance sets no separate penalty for the population-management clause itself; a person who interferes with a Director-authorized management action, or who violates the general wildlife protections it overrides, faces the same petty misdemeanor exposure under Minnesota Statutes Section 609.02, subdivision 4a that applies to the rest of Chapter V.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Washington County have a coyote management ordinance?
Who decides whether to cull or haze wildlife in a county park?
Can residents petition the county to manage a coyote problem in a park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Minnesota animal ordinances overview
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