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Lawton, OK Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

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

Key Facts

Regulated species
Prairie dogs only
Where it applies
Any city-owned property
Prohibited acts
Feed, kill, ensnare, trap, or chase
City-employee exception
Covers killing/trapping, not feeding
Adopted
Ordinance 2007-42, effective July 10, 2007

Summary

Lawton City Code Section 19-4-410 makes it unlawful to feed, kill, ensnare, trap, or chase prairie dogs anywhere on city-owned property. The feeding ban applies even to city staff and agents acting in an official capacity, the only group exempted from the kill and trap restrictions in the same section.

19-4-410 - Feeding and killing prairie dogs prohibited. No person shall feed, kill, ensnare, trap, chase or attempt to kill prairie dogs in or upon any city property. This section, other than the restriction on feeding prairie dogs, shall not apply to employees or agents of the city acting in their official capacities.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2 Update 1).

Full Breakdown

Section 19-4-410 sits within Article 19-4 of Chapter 19, the same article governing hunting permits, duck blinds, and deer, elk, and feral hog hunts on Lawton's lake properties. " The ordinance draws a sharp line between the feeding restriction and the kill/trap restrictions. " That means even a city worker cannot lawfully feed prairie dogs on municipal land. The rule reached the code through Ordinance 2007-42, amended July 10, 2007. Lawton's code does not contain a broader feeding prohibition covering deer, geese, ducks, or stray animals citywide; those species are instead addressed through the article's hunting-permit and hunting-season framework at Sections 19-4-403 through 19-4-414, which regulates take rather than feeding. Anyone looking for a citywide ban on feeding deer or waterfowl outside city-owned lake or park property will not find one in this chapter.

Violations & Fines

Feeding, killing, ensnaring, trapping, or chasing prairie dogs on city property violates Section 19-4-410, enforced under the city's general hunting and wildlife regulations in Article 19-4. Because the feeding ban carries no city-employee exception, municipal staff caught feeding prairie dogs face the same exposure as any resident; only official kill or trap actions by city agents are shielded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Lawton ban feeding deer or geese in city parks?
No. City Code Section 19-4-410 only bans feeding prairie dogs on city property. Deer, elk, and feral hog activity on city lake land is instead managed through the hunting-permit and season rules at Section 19-4-411, which control harvest, not feeding, and the code sets no general citywide feeding prohibition for other wildlife.
Can city workers feed prairie dogs while doing park maintenance?
No. Section 19-4-410 exempts city employees and agents from the ban on killing, ensnaring, trapping, or chasing prairie dogs, but the code specifically states that exemption does not cover feeding. Feeding prairie dogs on city property remains prohibited for everyone, including city staff.
Where does this rule apply?
The prohibition covers prairie dogs "in or upon any city property," per Section 19-4-410. It does not reach private land within Lawton; the restriction is limited to municipally owned property such as city lake grounds, parks, and other city-controlled tracts.

Sources & Official References

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