Mountain View, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Sec. 18 sets special rules that apply only within Shoreline at Mountain View Park, on top of the general park rules in Sec. 19. Subsection (i) declares the entire park a wildlife sanctuary and prohibits, at any time, feeding, hunting, trapping, killing, wounding, frightening or capturing any wild birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians or invertebrates found there. The only carve-out is for dangerous animals when a public official acts within the scope of authorized duties, and fish get separate protection except where state Fish and Wildlife regulations allow taking them in designated areas.

Even legitimate research is gated: the section allows capturing or taking park wildlife for scientific research only under a permit issued by the city manager. This sits alongside Sec. 9(s), the general park-conduct rule barring hunting, molesting, harming, trapping, chasing or throwing missiles at any animal, reptile or bird in any city park or facility, and Sec. 9(t), which separately bars giving or offering any animal or bird tobacco, alcohol or any other known noxious substance. Sec. 9(w) additionally bars any domestic animal, including dogs, cats and fowl, from entering or running at large in Shoreline at Mountain View Park at all, with or without a keeper, except a trained seeing-eye dog for a blind person.

Enforcement at Shoreline runs through the park ranger position created by Sec. 19, which gives rangers public-officer status, immunity, and power of arrest to enforce Chapter 38 provisions including Sec. 18.