Fullerton, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- FMC § 9.12.208
- Restricted zone
- Within 100 yards of city waters
- Covers
- Laguna Lake and all city lakes/ponds
- Minors
- Caregiver liable for minor's feeding
- Exception
- City Manager permit, narrow reasons only
- Penalty track
- Chapter 1.08 criminal or 1.10 civil
- Adopted
- Ord. 2994, 2002
Summary
Feeding ducks, geese or other waterfowl on or within 100 yards of any public lake, pond, stream or fountain in Fullerton, including Laguna Lake, is illegal under Fullerton Code of Ordinances Section 9.12.208. The ordinance also bars letting a minor in your care do the feeding and bans releasing waterfowl into these areas outright.
(C) Prohibition on feeding of waterfowl. No person shall establish or provide food to waterfowl on, or adjacent to, any restricted area. No person shall allow any minor in his or her care or custody to allow such feeding by the minor. For the purpose of this division (C), ADJACENT means within 100 yards of any restricted area. (D) Prohibition on release of waterfowl. No person shall abandon or release any waterfowl in any restricted area. (E) City Manager permission. The City Manager may grant permission to feed or release waterfowl in a restricted area upon a reasonable showing of some health, wildlife management or stream management reason to justify such activity. (F) Violation. It shall be unlawful for any person to violate any of provision of this section. Any person violating any provision of this section shall be subject to criminal penalties according to Chapter 1.08, or subject to civil penalties as set forth in Chapter 1.10.
Full Breakdown
208 protects city lake habitat by declaring that supplementing wild bird diets outside their natural environment spreads avian disease, discourages migration and degrades water quality at places like Laguna Lake. The code calls any publicly owned lake, pond, stream, creek or fountain in the city a "restricted area," and defines ADJACENT to mean within 100 yards of that water. Within that 100-yard zone, no one may establish or provide food to ducks, geese or other waterfowl, and an adult cannot allow a minor in their care to do it for them.
Releasing or abandoning waterfowl in a restricted area is separately prohibited. The only way around the ban is a permit-style exception: the City Manager may grant written permission to feed or release waterfowl, but only on a reasonable showing of a health, wildlife-management or stream-management justification, not for casual public feeding. 12, the city's Public Parks conduct ordinance, so Parks and Recreation staff and police officers enforce it alongside the chapter's general park rules.
Violations & Fines
Violating Section 9.12.208 is unlawful and, per subsection (F), triggers criminal penalties under Chapter 1.08 or civil penalties under Chapter 1.10 rather than a fixed in-section fine. Under Chapter 1.08's general schedule, an infraction runs up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year and $500 for later repeats, while a misdemeanor charge can carry a fine up to $1,000 and up to six months in county jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I feed the ducks at Laguna Lake Park?
Am I responsible if my kid feeds the geese?
Is there any legal way to feed or release waterfowl?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fullerton
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Wildlife Feeding in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle wildlife feeding.