Leominster, MA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered birds
- waterfowl (Anatidae), gulls (Laridae)
- Adopted
- January 26, 1998
- Farmer exception
- G.L. c.128 §1A domesticated waterfowl
- Emergency feeding authority
- Mayor or state Division of Fisheries
- Enforcement
- Director of Public Health, Police
Summary
Leominster prohibits feeding or baiting waterfowl and gulls anywhere in the city, with narrow exceptions for licensed farmers, propagators, kept pets, and mayor-authorized emergency feeding.
No person, except the Director of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife or the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, or their agents or designees, as authorized pursuant to Chapter 131 of the General Laws, shall feed or bait any waterfowl of the family Anatidae, including, but not restricted to ducks, geese, and swans, or any bird of the family Laridae, including but not restricted to any gull, at any place within the city of Leominster. As used in this paragraph, "feeding" and "baiting" shall mean the placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering, directly or indirectly, of any shelled, shucked, or unshucked corn, wheat, or other grain, bread, or salt, or any other feed or nutritive substances, in any manner of form, so as to constitute for such birds a lure, attraction, or enticement to, on, or over any such areas where such food items have been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 24).
Full Breakdown
Section 14-19 of the Leominster Code of Ordinances, adopted January 26, 1998, bars anyone other than the Director of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife or the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, or their agents, from feeding or baiting any waterfowl of the family Anatidae, including ducks, geese, and swans, or any bird of the family Laridae, including gulls, anywhere within the city. The section defines feeding and baiting broadly as placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering corn, wheat, other grain, bread, salt, or any nutritive substance so as to lure or attract such birds.
c. c. 131, section 23 feeding confined birds under that license, and a person feeding waterfowl lawfully kept as a pet. The Mayor, or the Mayor's agent, or the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife may also authorize emergency feeding when unusual weather or other circumstances are causing undue losses or suffering among the birds, with the Mayor notified by first-class mail. State agents may also feed or bait for research purposes with the Mayor's prior permission, provided the resulting data is shared with the Mayor and the Conservation Commission.
Violations & Fines
Section 14-19 does not print a separate stand-alone fine schedule within the excerpted text; feeding or baiting waterfowl or gulls without qualifying under one of the listed exceptions, or without the required state or mayoral authorization, is a violation of the chapter enforceable by the Director of Public Health and Leominster police under the chapter's general enforcement section 14-16.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to feed geese or ducks in Leominster parks?
Are there any exceptions to Leominster's waterfowl feeding ban?
Can emergency feeding of waterfowl ever be allowed in Leominster?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Leominster
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Wildlife Feeding in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle wildlife feeding.