Appleton, WI Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)
Key Facts
- Feeding deer/wild animals
- Banned citywide (§3-117)
- Presumption threshold
- Over 1/2 gallon (§3-117(a))
- Feeder height rule
- Under 6 ft = presumed violation
- Automatic/drop feeders
- Presumed violation at any height
- Exempt
- Gardens, unmodified bird feeders (§3-117(b))
Summary
Appleton bars putting out salt, grain, fruit or vegetable material anywhere in the city to feed whitetail deer or other wild animals, under §3-117. More than a half-gallon at a time, or any amount in a drop or automatic feeder, is presumed to be illegal deer feeding regardless of intent.
No person may place any salt, mineral, grain, fruit or vegetable material outdoors on any public or private property for the purpose of feeding whitetail deer or other wild animals. (a) Presumption. There shall be a rebuttable presumption that either of the following acts are for the purpose of feeding whitetail deer: (1) The placement of salt, mineral, grain, fruit or vegetable material in an aggregate quantity of greater than one-half (½) gallon at the height of less than six (6) feet off the ground. (2) The placement of salt, mineral, grain, fruit or vegetable material in an aggregate quantity of greater than one-half (½) gallon in a drop feeder, automatic feeder or similar device regardless of the height of the grain, fruit or vegetable material.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Section 3-117 makes it unlawful to place salt, mineral, grain, fruit or vegetable material outdoors on public or private property anywhere in the city for the purpose of feeding whitetail deer or other wild animals. Because intent can be hard to prove directly, subsection (a) creates two rebuttable presumptions that a placement is for deer feeding: putting out more than half a gallon of such material at a height under six feet off the ground, or putting out more than half a gallon in a drop feeder, automatic feeder or similar device at any height.
Either presumption shifts the burden to the property owner to show the material wasn't intended to feed deer. Subsection (b) exempts three situations entirely: naturally growing grain, fruit or vegetable material including ordinary gardens; unmodified, commercially purchased bird feeders or their equivalent; and deer feeding the Common Council authorizes on a temporary basis for a specific stated purpose. Outside those three carve-outs, the ban applies citywide, to both public and private property, and doesn't require that deer actually show up, only that the material was placed for that purpose.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the feeding ban carries the chapter's general penalty under §1-16, cross-referenced through §1-17 for the citation and §1-18 for the deposit schedule. Because the statute creates a rebuttable presumption rather than requiring direct proof of intent, exceeding the half-gallon threshold or using an automatic feeder is enough on its own to support a citation absent a Common Council exemption.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put out corn to feed deer in my Appleton yard?
Are bird feeders illegal under this rule?
Can the city ever allow deer feeding?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Appleton
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Wildlife Feeding in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Outagamie County handle wildlife feeding.