Weber County, UT Animal Ordinances: Coyote Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Classification
- Wild unprotected animal, Canidae family
- Governing section
- Weber County Code § 6-4-19
- Abatement partner
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Private keeping
- Unlawful without a licensed facility
- Citizen permitting scheme
- None specified in county code
Summary
Weber County classifies coyotes as 'wild unprotected animals' along with raccoons, foxes and skunks under Code § 6-1-3. Section 6-4-19 authorizes animal control to abate these nuisance species humanely, working directly or with USDA assistance, rather than setting citizen-facing hazing, feeding or trapping rules.
Sec 6-1-3 Definitions: 'Wild unprotected animals means a wild animal that is classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an agriculture nuisance animal such as raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and skunks.' ... Sec 6-4-19 Wild Unprotected Animal Abatement: 'Wild unprotected animals may be abated in a safe and humane manner under the direct or with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.'
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: ?).
Full Breakdown
Weber County Code Title 6 puts coyotes in the 'wild unprotected animal' category defined at Section 6-1-3 as 'a wild animal that is classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an agriculture nuisance animal such as raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and skunks.' The broader 'wild animal' definition in the same section separately lists coyotes under 'Dog family (Canidae),' alongside wolves, foxes and dingoes, as species that count as wild for purposes of the county's animal code.
Section 6-4-18 makes it unlawful to sell, barter, give away, keep or purchase any wild animal, including a coyote, except at licensed facilities such as animal shelters, zoological parks, veterinary hospitals, bona fide research facilities and fairgrounds, and any facility that does keep one must confine it so it cannot escape or run at large and must follow state and federal vaccination and handling rules for the species.
For abatement of coyotes and the other listed nuisance species already living wild in the county, Section 6-4-19 is short and direct: abatement happens 'in a safe and humane manner under the direct or with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.' The code does not set out a separate citizen permitting scheme, hazing protocol or feeding ban for coyotes specifically; abatement authority sits with animal control and its federal partner, USDA Wildlife Services, rather than with individual residents. The general nuisance-animal notice and justice court review procedure elsewhere in the chapter governs how the county documents and acts on a contested nuisance-wildlife case.
Violations & Fines
Keeping, buying or selling a wild coyote outside a licensed facility violates Section 6-4-18 and is enforced through the general Title 6 penalty structure. Because Section 6-4-19 authorizes government-directed abatement rather than private trapping, residents dealing with a nuisance coyote should contact Weber County Animal Control or coordinate through USDA Wildlife Services rather than act on their own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to keep a pet coyote in Weber County?
Who handles nuisance coyotes in unincorporated Weber County?
Does county code set rules on feeding or hazing coyotes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Weber County
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