Flint, MI Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Effective January 31, 2019, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources implemented a Natural Resources Commission order banning the baiting and feeding of free-ranging white-tailed deer across the entire Lower Peninsula on both public and private lands, in response to the detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in multiple Lower Peninsula counties. Genesee County is in the Lower Peninsula and is among the counties where CWD has been confirmed, making the ban locally relevant. The legal basis sits in Part 401 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA), MCL 324.40101 et seq., as implemented through Wildlife Conservation Orders adopted by the Natural Resources Commission. Limited exceptions exist for fenced shooting facilities, deer used in research under DNR authority, and incidental feeding from normal agricultural activity. Bird feeders are allowed if they are placed and maintained so that deer cannot access the food, but must be removed if a conservation officer determines they are functioning as a deer attractant. The City of Flint does not have a separate wildlife-feeding ordinance for raccoons, coyotes, geese, or bears, but feeding that creates a public nuisance or attracts protected species can be cited under Flint's general nuisance authority and the trash-storage requirements that bar attractants for nuisance wildlife. As of 2026, the Michigan House has passed a bill to lift the Lower Peninsula baiting ban, but the ban remains in force pending Senate action.