Monterey County, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Monterey County Code § 8.42.012
- Scope
- Unincorporated Monterey County only
- Allowed
- Bird feeders in the yard
- Allowed
- Feeding under state/federal wildlife permit
- Enforced by
- State Humane Officers and peace officers
- Default penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
Summary
Monterey County Code § 8.42.012 makes it unlawful to feed or intentionally supply food to any non-domesticated animal anywhere in the unincorporated county, closing off the deer, coyote and raccoon handouts that draw wildlife into yards. The ban carries two exceptions: a bird feeder in the yard, and animals fed under a state or federal wildlife permit or while awaiting pickup by Animal Control or the Humane Society.
8.42.012 - Feeding of wildlife prohibited. No person shall feed or in any manner intentionally provide food as sustenance or to encourage domesticity in a non-domesticated animal with the exception of a bird feeder in the yard. A person may feed or provide food to wildlife under the following circumstances: A.When the wildlife is maintained, treated or fed pursuant to a valid certificate or permit issued by the State of California or an agency of the U.S. Government;B.When the wildlife is maintained, treated or fed between the time Animal Control or Humane Society is notified and the time the wildlife is picked up by such agency.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 56).
Full Breakdown
010, showing the chapter's broader purpose of keeping people from interfering with or habituating wild animals across unincorporated Monterey County. 012 states flatly that no person may feed or otherwise 'intentionally provide food as sustenance or to encourage domesticity in a non-domesticated animal,' with only a bird feeder in the yard carved out as an everyday exception. The remaining exceptions are narrow and procedural: wildlife may be fed while held under a valid state or federal wildlife permit or certificate, or during the window between when Animal Control or the Humane Society is notified about a sick, injured or stray wild animal and when that agency actually picks the animal up.
Outside those circumstances, leaving out food for deer along a fence line, tossing bread to geese at a Salinas Valley pond, or running a feeding station for coyotes or raccoons all fall under the ban. Because this is a county ordinance, it governs only unincorporated Monterey County; the cities of Salinas, Monterey, Seaside, Marina, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pacific Grove and King City enforce their own municipal codes and are not bound by this chapter. 5. 040(B)(1).
Violations & Fines
A § 8.42.012 violation is a misdemeanor under the County's default penalty section, Monterey County Code § 1.20.040(B)(1): a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in the Monterey County Jail, or both. State Humane Officers and any peace officer may investigate and arrest under Penal Code §§ 836, 836.5 and 853.5 per § 8.42.020. Repeated feeding that habituates deer or coyotes near a residence can also draw a separate nuisance-wildlife complaint to Animal Control.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put out a deer feeder on my property in unincorporated Monterey County?
Is it legal to feed a hurt or stray wild animal while waiting for Animal Control?
Does this rule apply inside the City of Monterey or Carmel-by-the-Sea?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monterey County
California rules heatmap·Compare Monterey County to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.