Middleton, WI Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

05(15) prohibits placing any salt, mineral, grain, fruit or vegetable matter outdoors on public or private property for the purpose of feeding whitetail deer. Because intent can be hard to prove directly, the ordinance builds in two rebuttable presumptions: placing more than half a gallon of such material at a height under six feet is presumed to be deer feeding, and placing more than half a gallon in a drop feeder, automatic feeder or similar device is presumed to be deer feeding regardless of how high the feeder sits.

A property owner accused under either presumption can rebut it, but the burden of coming forward with a different explanation falls on them once the City shows the quantity and placement. The ordinance carves out five specific exceptions. Bait placed for hunting whitetail deer is excused, so long as it complies with all other hunting and weapons-discharge laws. Naturally growing grain, fruit or vegetable material, including ordinary vegetable gardens, is not covered. Unmodified, commercially purchased bird feeders and their equivalents are excluded even though deer sometimes feed from them.

The Common Council may authorize temporary deer feeding for a specific public purpose, and the City's Public Lands Manager may separately authorize temporary feeding for the purpose of counting the deer population. 05, including this one, can also trigger an abatement order under Subsection (16), issued by a humane officer, animal control officer or law enforcement officer, with an appeal available to the Chief of Police within ten days.