Mead Valley, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Unincorporated Riverside County directly regulates the feeding of wild burros. In 2017 the Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance No. 934, officially titled the "Prohibiting the Harassment and Feeding of Undomesticated Burros Act." It was enacted after free-roaming burro herds spread through the Pigeon Pass and Reche Canyon areas north of Moreno Valley, where residents had been pulling over to let the animals eat hay and produce from their vehicles, contributing to vehicle-burro collisions and a fatal crash. The ordinance makes it an infraction to feed or otherwise entice wild burros into populated areas or to interact with the untamed animals. Penalties escalate with offenses: a $100 fine for a first violation, $200 for a second, and up to $500 for additional violations within a year. Beyond burros, California state law restricts feeding of big-game mammals; the County and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife encourage residents not to feed coyotes, deer, or other wildlife, to remove attractants, and to haze coyotes rather than habituate them. The County's general nuisance provisions can also apply where feeding attracts pests or creates unsanitary conditions. Bird feeders are generally permitted but can become a code issue if they create a nuisance or attract problem wildlife.