The City of Napa does not have a dedicated wildlife-feeding ordinance, but feeding wildlife in ways that create a nuisance is reachable under the City's general nuisance authority and through the animal-control framework in Napa Municipal Code Chapter 6.04. The principal restriction is at the state level: 14 CCR Section 251.3, issued by the California Fish and Game Commission, prohibits the intentional feeding of big game mammals — including deer, elk, antelope, mountain lion, wild pig, and bear — anywhere in California. California Fish and Game Code Sections 251.1 and 4150 separately prohibit harassment and unauthorized possession of certain mammals.
Napa's local hook for wildlife feeding is the general nuisance authority in Title 1 of the Municipal Code combined with Chapter 6.04 (Animal Control) at https://qcode.us/codes/napa/view.php?topic=city_of_napa_municipal_code-6-6_04. Feeders that produce vermin (rats, mice), bear visits, or visible fecal accumulations are independently citable as a nuisance, and Section 6.04.080 (Trespassing Poultry) plus the general nuisance provisions reach attractants that draw fowl onto neighboring property. The principal state restriction is 14 CCR Section 251.3 (https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=92395), which provides that it is unlawful to intentionally feed big game mammals in California — defined to include deer, elk, antelope, mountain lions, wild pigs, and bears. Section 251.1 (https://govt.westlaw.com/calregs/Document/IB60E66B4BC7949A9869B1A30E6BEF1FF) prohibits harassment of game mammals, fur-bearing mammals, nongame mammals, game birds, nongame birds, or fur-bearing or nongame birds — including intentionally attracting them through feed that interferes with their normal behavior. Napa sits at the southern end of the Napa Valley with deer, wild turkey, wild pig, mountain lion, and the occasional black bear all present in the surrounding hills — California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Region 3 covers Napa County and publishes guidance on living with wildlife at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Regions/3. California Fish and Game Code Section 4150 (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=FGC§ionNum=4150.) makes it unlawful to take any mammal otherwise unprotected by the code except as provided. CDFW Wildlife Officers enforce 14 CCR Section 251.3 statewide and may issue depredation permits where habituated animals must be removed. Bird feeders for songbirds are not prohibited but should be cleaned regularly and removed if they attract bears, raccoons, or rodents — under-maintained feeders that produce vermin attract nuisance citations from City Code Enforcement.
Local nuisance violations carry administrative citations under Title 1 of the Municipal Code plus abatement orders requiring removal of feed or attractants. State big-game feeding violations under 14 CCR Section 251.3 are enforced by CDFW with fines and, on repeat offenses, citations under California Fish and Game Code Section 12000 (general misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000 and/or six months in county jail). Habituated wildlife that becomes a public-safety hazard can trigger CDFW depredation removal at no cost to the homeowner but at the cost of the animal.
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