Albany, OR Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Albany Municipal Code § 6.16.020 declares feeding of wildlife within the city limits of Albany, Oregon a public nuisance and prohibits it at all times. The ban is not limited to tossing out scraps. Feeding of wildlife includes any manner by which a person allows food or other attractants to be given with the intent of attracting and/or feeding wildlife. The intent language is part of the definition, so the target is deliberate attraction of animals, and food or other attractants both count.

Chapter 6.16 defines the covered animals in § 6.16.010. Wildlife includes any animal that is not normally domesticated, including, but not limited to, nutria, coyotes, deer, foxes, groundhogs, opossums, raccoons, skunks, and turkeys. Waterfowl means any bird that frequents the water or lives around rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water, including ducks, geese, swans, and herons. Songbirds means species in which the vocal organ is developed to provide various sound notes commonly known as bird song.

One exception is printed. Nothing in the chapter prohibits the feeding of songbirds or waterfowl, provided that the feed is contained in receptacles which are reasonably designed to avoid access by wildlife. The proviso ties the exception to the feeder itself, so a feeder that wildlife can reach falls outside it.

The chapter was adopted by Ord. 6056 in 2024. Section 6.16.030 separately lets the City act when wildlife populations threaten the health and welfare or endanger the property of Albany citizens, using steps authorized by the appropriate regulatory agency.