Montebello, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Adopted by Ordinance No. 2408 on October 10, 2018, the chapter's purpose clause blames large numbers of wildfowl, pigeons, ducks, squirrels, feral cats, wild dogs and unlicensed non-pet animals for defacement, deterioration, litter and property damage citywide. Section 17.90.020 defines "feed" broadly as giving, placing, exposing, depositing, scattering or distributing any edible material, including grain, seed, greens, bread, fruit, pet food or other food scraps, with the intent to feed, attract or entice wildlife, and it defines "public street" to sweep in every thoroughfare, avenue, road, highway, boulevard, parkway, drive, lane, alley, court, right-of-way, gutter, curb, parking area and sidewalk in the city.

Section 17.90.030 declares the prohibited feeding a nuisance outright, whether it happens on a public street or on any public or private property. The definitions carve out one exception: a "wild pigeon" is any bird of the family Columbidae, but the term does not apply to a pigeon under the care and control of a person, so an owner's own kept pigeons fall outside the ban. Section 17.90.040 sets the penalty scale: a first violation is punishable by a fine of not more than fifty dollars, a second violation of the same section within one year by not more than one hundred dollars, and each additional violation of that section within the same year by not more than two hundred fifty dollars, all charged as an infraction rather than a misdemeanor.