Freehold Township, NJ Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Adopted as part of the 2006 Animal Control article (Ord. No. " The ordinance borrows the purposely-or-knowingly mental-state standard directly from Title 2C of the New Jersey criminal code. It reaches beyond active feeding: subsection (A)(2) separately bans leaving out refuse, garbage, pet food, birdseed, salt or similar material in a manner that would constitute an attractant to wildlife, and (A)(3) creates an escalation step, once the Township has advised a property owner to take remedial action, continuing to leave food sources or attractants such as outdoor trash, grills or bird feeders unsecured becomes its own violation.

The chapter's WILD ANIMAL definition sweeps in bears, coyotes, deer, feral cats, foxes, groundhogs, opossums, raccoons, skunks, waterfowl and wolves, so the feeding ban functions as the Township's principal tool against nuisance wildlife of every kind, not just deer or geese. Exceptions are narrow: farm animals, confined wildlife such as animals at stables, parks or rehabilitation centers, Township agents implementing an approved community-based deer management plan under a state deer-management permit, and licensed hunters baiting under Title 23. Anyone who cannot comply may seek a waiver from the Board of Health under § 79-20, which must rule within 45 business days.