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Camden County, NJ Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing provision
Park Regulations Art. 4 Section 20(B)
Feeding of geese
Strictly prohibited outright
Fine
$50.00 flat, schedule item 5-2(A)
Enforcement
Camden County Park Police
Scope
All Camden County Park System land
Repeat conduct
Each day is a separate offense

Summary

Camden County bars feeding any animal, fish or waterfowl in its park system, singling out geese for a strict ban. Park personnel enforce a flat $50 fine per Section 20(B) of the Camden County Park Regulations, with each day of continued feeding counted as a separate offense.

City-specific rules exist: Cherry Hill has its own wildlife feeding rules that differ from Camden County's county-level regulations. If you live in Cherry Hill, check the city-specific page instead.

SECTION 20 – WILDLIFE

(A) No person shall kill, wound, trap, hunt, remove, or have in his possession any animal, reptile, bird, bird's nest or squirrel's nest, or remove the young of any such bird, reptile, or animal, or the eggs or young of any such bird, reptile or animal. Muskrats may be trapped with the required permit.

(B) No person shall feed any animal, fish or waterfowl. Feeding of geese is strictly prohibited.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.

Full Breakdown

Article 4, Section 20 of the Camden County Park Regulations governs wildlife inside the Camden County Park System. Subsection (A) bars killing, wounding, trapping, hunting, removing or possessing any animal, reptile, bird, bird's nest or squirrel's nest, or taking the eggs or young of any bird, reptile or animal, though muskrats may be trapped under a required permit. " That second sentence exists because Camden County's park lakes (Newton Lake, Cooper River Park, Wallworth Park and others) draw resident Canada geese, and feeding them concentrates flocks, fouls swimming and walking areas, and creates the droppings and aggression problems the county cites informally on its parks page.

00 penalty, the same base fine set for fishing without a license, holding a regatta without a permit and several boating violations in the surrounding schedule. Article 6 also states that a separate offense is deemed committed on each day a violation continues, so repeated feeding at the same location can be cited more than once. Enforcement falls to Camden County Park Police and park personnel, who patrol under the Camden County Board of County Commissioners (the ordinance still refers to the former Board of Chosen Freeholders).

The rule applies countywide across every park and parcel of the Camden County Park System, not to feeding on private property or within individual municipalities, which set their own rules if any.

Violations & Fines

A first citation for feeding wildlife, fish or waterfowl under Section 20(B) draws a $50.00 fine per the Article 6 fine schedule entry 5-2(A). The Regulations do not list an escalating second- or third-offense amount for this item the way they do for some other prohibited uses, but they do provide that each day a violation continues counts as a separate, separately fineable offense. Citations are issued by Camden County Park Police.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I feed ducks or geese at Cooper River Park?
No. Section 20(B) of the Camden County Park Regulations bans feeding any animal, fish or waterfowl in county parks, and adds a specific line making feeding geese strictly prohibited. Cooper River Park, Newton Lake Park and the county's other parks are all part of the Camden County Park System this section covers.
What is the fine for feeding wildlife in a Camden County park?
The Article 6 fine schedule lists item 5-2(A), feeding of wildlife, at a flat $50.00 penalty. The Regulations state that each day a violation continues is treated as a separate offense, so repeated feeding can draw more than one citation.
Does the feeding ban apply to stray cats too?
Section 20(B) bans feeding "any animal, fish or waterfowl" without carving out strays, so it reaches feeding stray or feral cats on county park property. Camden County's municipalities, not the county, handle animal control and feeding rules outside park land.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Camden County

All Camden County rules

Compare Camden County to another location·View the New Jersey animal ordinances overview

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