Irvington, NJ Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing article
- Irvington Township Code §§ 167-25 to 167-29
- Adopted
- Feb. 24, 2009 by Ord. No. MC 3391
- Covered locations
- All Township-owned or operated property
- Exceptions
- Zoos, rehab centers, education centers, TNR cats
- Enforcement
- Public Safety and Public Works Departments
- First offense fine
- $50
- Fourth offense fine
- Up to $500, court appearance required
Summary
Irvington Township Code Article IV of Chapter 167, Sections 167-25 through 167-29, bans feeding unconfined wildlife anywhere on Township-owned or Township-operated property, including every public park. The ban excludes confined wildlife at zoos or rehabilitation centers, environmental education center animals, and feral cats fed through an approved trap-neuter-return colony. Enforced by Public Safety and Public Works, violators must stop feeding immediately.
The purpose of this article is to prohibit the feeding of unconfined wildlife in any public park or on any other property owned or operated by the Township of Irvington, so as to protect public health, safety and welfare, and to prescribe penalties for failure to comply. ... No person shall feed, in any public park or on any other property owned or operated by the Township of Irvington, any wildlife, excluding confined wildlife (for example, wildlife confined in zoos, parks or rehabilitation centers, or unconfined wildlife at environmental education centers, or feral cats as part of an approved trap-neuter-release program).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4996945; v39 updated 2026-07-13; through 07-13-2026).
Full Breakdown
The Township adopted this article on February 24, 2009, under Ordinance No. MC 3391, originally as Chapter 65, Part 2, Article IV of the 1981 Revised Code, and it defines feed broadly in Section 167-26 as giving, placing, exposing, depositing, distributing or scattering any edible material with the intent of feeding, attracting or enticing wildlife, while carving out an exception for lawful baiting in fishing or hunting. Wildlife is defined as any animal that is neither human nor domesticated, which sweeps in deer, geese, raccoons and other unconfined species a resident might otherwise want to feed in a park.
Enforcement in Section 167-28 runs jointly through the Irvington Department of Public Safety and the Department of Public Works, and an officer who finds a violation orders the person to stop the feeding immediately rather than simply issuing a citation on the spot. The article sits alongside a related cross-reference in Chapter 449, Pest Control, at Section 449-6, which separately addresses feeding animals in the open and storing feed, so a resident's obligations under Chapter 167 do not stand alone; the pest-control chapter reinforces the same no-feeding policy from a different angle.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the outdoor-feeding rule carries a $50 fine, rising to $100 for a second offense, $250 for a third, and up to $500 for a fourth, with a court appearance required at that final tier under the schedule in Section 167-29. Any other violation of the article defaults to the general penalty set out in Chapter 1, Article III, Penalties, of the Township Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I feed geese or deer in an Irvington park?
Is it legal to feed stray cats outside my home?
What's the fine for feeding wildlife in a Township park?
Who enforces the no-feeding rule in Irvington's parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Irvington
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