Waterloo, IA Animal Ordinances: Coyote Management (2026)

Waterloo manages its urban deer population through a narrow exception inside its weapons ordinance rather than a standalone wildlife chapter. Section 5-2-6A generally bans discharging any firearm within the city outside police duty, animal control wildlife work, or a council-approved trapshoot or rifle range permit. Subsection B1 separately bans discharging or carrying air rifles, pellet guns, slingshots or similar devices citywide, unless the weapon is unloaded and carried in a case too large to conceal. Subsection B2 then creates Waterloo's deer management carve-out: licensed bow hunters may hunt deer from the second Monday in October through January 10 of the following year in the Leonard Katoski Greenbelt Park, on other city property the city authorizes from time to time, or on private property under the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' special deer management zone procedures.

During October specifically, hunting is limited to weekday mornings until noon. Even within the season, a bow cannot be displayed within 600 feet of any residence without that owner's permission, on city property outside the authorized areas, or within 75 feet of any bike trail, nature trail, other recreational facility, or any area posted as no hunting. A separate carve-out in subsection B3 lets a public health technician with a fur harvester license use a pellet rifle to control burrowing animals on the city's flood dike system between May 1 and October 1, under a health officer's oversight.

Violating the weapons ordinance outside these exceptions, including hunting outside the authorized season, area or hours, or violating the 600 or 75 foot buffers, is enforced by the Waterloo Police Department.