Feeding bears and elk is always illegal in Pennsylvania, and deer feeding is banned in Lancaster County, which sits in a Chronic Wasting Disease management area. These Game Commission rules are statewide; municipalities may add feeding restrictions.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission bars feeding of certain wildlife statewide: it is always illegal to feed bear and elk, and it is unlawful to feed wild, free-ranging deer inside any Disease Management Area or the Established Area. Lancaster County has fallen within a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Disease Management Area, so directly or indirectly feeding deer here is prohibited to curb disease spread. The county itself sets no wildlife-feeding ordinance — the rule is the Game Commission's — but individual municipalities sometimes ban feeding deer, geese, or other wildlife as a nuisance measure. Bird feeders for songbirds are generally permitted.
Feeding banned wildlife is a summary offense enforced by the PA Game Commission with fines per violation; local nuisance-feeding rules carry municipal fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
lancaster-county-pa
Lancaster County has no backyard-composting ordinance. Home composting is allowed statewide and encouraged by PA DEP; nuisance limits (odor, rodents, setback...
lancaster-county-pa
Lancaster County does not regulate artificial turf. Whether you may install synthetic lawn, and any impervious-coverage or stormwater limits, is set by your ...
lancaster-county-pa
Lancaster County does not require or restrict native-plant landscaping. Whether a meadow or native garden is allowed depends on your municipality's grass/wee...
lancaster-county-pa
Rainwater collection is legal statewide in Pennsylvania; neither Lancaster County nor the state restricts it, and PA DEP encourages rain barrels for stormwat...
lancaster-county-pa
Lancaster County sets no watering schedule. Water-use restrictions in Pennsylvania come from the state Drought Task Force and PA DEP. Watering limits are vol...
lancaster-county-pa
Lancaster County sets no weed ordinance; your municipality does (e.g., Lancaster City's six-inch limit). Statewide, Pennsylvania's Controlled Plants and Noxi...
See how Lancaster County's wildlife feeding rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.