Hackensack, NJ Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Article VIII, adopted in 2005, defines FEED broadly under Section 52-43 as giving, placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering any edible material with the intent of feeding, attracting, or enticing wildlife, though the definition excludes bait used in the legal taking of fish or game. WILDLIFE is defined as all animals that are neither human nor domesticated. Section 52-44 then bans feeding any wildlife in any public park or on any other property owned or operated by the City of Hackensack, with a carve-out for confined wildlife, animals held in zoos, parks, or rehabilitation centers, or unconfined wildlife at environmental education centers.

The ban applies only to city-owned and city-operated property; it does not reach private property, which is instead addressed by the separate bird-feeding rules in Article IX for songbirds, waterfowl, pigeons, and other backyard birds, allowing feeding there only if it does not disturb neighbors, does not create droppings buildup, does not attract rodents, keeps feeders at least five feet off the ground, and limits feeder capacity to five pounds of seed. Section 52-45 puts enforcement of the wildlife-feeding ban with the Police Department and other municipal officials, and anyone found feeding wildlife on city property must be ordered to stop immediately.

Section 52-46 sets the maximum penalty at $1,000 per violation, a flat cap rather than the escalating per-offense schedule that governs the companion bird-feeding article.