Berkeley, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

50 prohibits feeding wild animals on public property citywide. 030 states the rule flatly: no person may feed wild animals at any time in City parks or on public property without specific written authorization from the City Manager. 020 defines the terms broadly. 040, and rights-of-way, including any landscaping on that property. 'Feed' means to distribute, place, deposit, or dump any type of food in any manner, whether or not an animal is actually present when the food is put out, closing off the argument that leaving food where no animal is currently visible is not covered.

'Wild' animal means any non-domesticated species, and the code specifically names gophers and squirrels as examples, so the ordinance is not limited to larger wildlife like deer or geese. 010 states the City's purpose for the ban: reducing disease risk, reducing wildlife overpopulation, and lessening property damage caused by wild animals congregating around food sources. Because the prohibition applies to public property rather than private yards, a resident who feeds birds or squirrels on their own property is not reached by this chapter, but doing so in a City park, on a sidewalk, or along a street right-of-way is a direct violation absent the City Manager's written sign-off.