Bethlehem, PA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Bethlehem does not have a single comprehensive wildlife-feeding ordinance. Local enforcement runs through Article 1159 (Animals) of the Codified Ordinances at https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/ordinances — primarily Section 1159.06 nuisance — read together with property-maintenance rules against accumulations of food that attract vermin. Two state-level frameworks layer on top. First, 58 Pa. Code Section 137.33 at https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/058/chapter137/s137.33.html&d=reduce (issued by the Pennsylvania Game Commission under 34 Pa.C.S. Section 103) makes it unlawful to intentionally lay or place food, fruit, hay, grain, chemical, salt, or other minerals anywhere in Pennsylvania for the purpose of feeding bears or elk, or in any manner that may cause bears or elk to congregate or habituate an area. Second, 58 Pa. Code Section 137.34 prohibits feeding wild, free-ranging cervids (deer) within designated Disease Management Areas to limit Chronic Wasting Disease spread. CWD DMAs are mapped by the Pennsylvania Game Commission at https://www.pgc.pa.gov/Wildlife/Wildlife-RelatedDiseases/Pages/CWD.aspx and are amended after each detection — owners should verify their address against the current DMA map before placing feeders for deer. The Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officers in the Northeast Region (Dallas, PA) enforce both 137.33 and 137.34. Songbird feeders are not prohibited but should be maintained to prevent spilled seed from attracting rats — under-maintained feeders that produce vermin can attract Section 1159.06 nuisance citations.