Minneapolis, MN Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Minneapolis Code § 229.60
- Bird feeder height
- At least 48 inches above ground
- Enforcing agency
- Minneapolis Health Department
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor under § 1.30
- Prohibited
- Food or garbage left where it feeds rats
Summary
Minneapolis bans leaving food, garbage or rubbish anywhere it could feed rats, and requires wild bird feeders to sit at least 48 inches off the ground so rats can't reach them, under the city's pest-control code.
It shall be unlawful for any person to place, leave, dump, or allow to accumulate any animal, fruit or vegetable matter, garbage, rubbish or trash in any building or on any premises, improved or vacant, or on any open lot or alley within the city so that the same shall or may provide food or harborage for rats. ... It shall be unlawful to feed wild birds except where feed is placed in feeders or platforms raised a minimum of forty-eight (48) inches above the ground, and so located and constructed so as not to be accessible to rats.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 72).
Full Breakdown
Minneapolis Code § 229.60 makes it unlawful to place, leave, dump or allow to accumulate any animal, fruit or vegetable matter, garbage, rubbish or trash anywhere in the city so that it could provide food or harborage for rats; waste of that kind must go in ratproof containers with tight-fitting lids. The same section separately bars feeding wild birds unless the feed sits in a feeder or platform raised at least 48 inches above the ground and positioned so rats can't reach it. The Minneapolis Health Department, through the commissioner of health, enforces the chapter and can order extermination and harborage removal.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Minneapolis Code Title 11 carries the city's default misdemeanor penalty under § 1.30, a fine or jail time set by Minnesota law, and the health department can also order abatement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put out a bird feeder in Minneapolis?
Is it legal to leave food out for stray cats or deer in Minneapolis?
Who enforces Minneapolis's rat-feeding and bird feeder rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Minneapolis
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