Chapel Hill, NC Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Neither Chapel Hill's Chapter 4 (Animals and Animal Control) nor the Orange County Animal Control Ordinance contains a specific wildlife-feeding section, so the practice is governed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission's general hunting and wildlife rules under NCGS Chapter 113 and 15A NCAC 10B. (1) DEER FEEDING / CWD STATUS: NCWRC permits baiting of deer on private land for hunting in most Piedmont counties, but feeding deer outside of hunting season for purposes of attracting them to a residential lot is strongly discouraged and may violate NCWRC Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Surveillance Area feeding restrictions if CWD-positive cases are confirmed in or near Orange County. As of late 2024 NCWRC had detected CWD-positive deer in several northwestern North Carolina counties (Yadkin, Surry, Stokes, Cumberland, Johnston) but Orange County (and Wake County) was NOT inside the formal CWD Surveillance Area - check the current NCWRC CWD map at ncwildlife.org/cwd for status, as the area can expand by proclamation. (2) BEAR FEEDING: NCWRC's bear-management rules (15A NCAC 10B) prohibit placing food, food products, or any attractant for the purpose of taking or attempting to take black bear during the open or closed seasons. The agency strongly discourages residential bear feeding because of habituation and public-safety risk; black bear sightings in the Orange County / Chapel Hill area have increased in recent years, particularly in the western and northern fringes near the Eno River corridor and Duke Forest. (3) MIGRATORY BIRDS: Bird feeders for migratory songbirds (cardinals, finches, chickadees, hummingbirds) and resident species are unregulated by Chapel Hill and NCWRC, beyond the general federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibitions on capturing or harming protected species. (4) NUISANCE WILDLIFE: Intentional feeding that creates a sanitation nuisance, attracts rats or raccoons in numbers, or habituates coyotes/foxes to residential properties can be cited by Orange County Animal Services or Chapel Hill Code Enforcement under the general nuisance and lot-maintenance provisions of the Town Code. Chapel Hill's wooded suburban character (extensive tree canopy, proximity to Carolina North Forest, Bolin Creek, Battle Park, and Duke Forest) produces a steady volume of deer, coyote, and fox interactions; the NCWRC Wildlife Helpline (866-318-2401) handles these in coordination with Orange County Animal Services.