Sacramento County, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

No Sacramento County ordinance specific to feeding wild animals in unincorporated areas was identified in the County's published animal and code-enforcement materials. Instead, the County directs residents to report nuisance wildlife — skunks, raccoons, rodents and similar — to the County Agricultural Commission's Wildlife Services Program, which handles wildlife conflicts. At the state level, California Code of Regulations Title 14 section 251.1 defines 'harass' as an intentional act that disrupts an animal's normal behavior patterns — including breeding, feeding, or sheltering — for game birds, nongame birds and mammals, and furbearing mammals, so deliberately interfering with wildlife (including through baiting or feeding that alters their behavior) can run afoul of state wildlife rules, with a narrow exception for landowners/tenants driving animals to prevent crop or property damage. Note: California Civil Code section 1834.5 concerns abandoned animals at care facilities, not wildlife feeding, and does not apply here. Practically, attracting deer, coyotes, raccoons, or rodents by feeding can also create a public nuisance and draw odor/vermin code enforcement. Residents who want a local feeding restriction or have a wildlife conflict should contact the Agricultural Commissioner's Wildlife Services Program or Code Enforcement.