New Britain, CT Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Section 17-40(d) of the Code of Ordinances, added by Resolution No. 32192-2 on March 27, 2013, sits inside Article III of Chapter 17, the article covering park use regulations enforced by the Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners. The rule targets waterfowl specifically: geese, ducks and any other waterfowl on any public property or park within the city limits. It carves out one narrow exception for a wildlife rehabilitator attempting to catch a sick or injured bird; everyone else is barred from feeding, providing or giving any food or edible item to these birds, whether from a park bench, a car window or the edge of a pond.

The same Article III also bars hunting, trapping, molesting or poisoning any bird or animal in a park under § 17-40(a) and (b), so a person who lures geese with bread is exposed to more than one park-wildlife provision if the feeding escalates into handling. Violations carry a flat $100 fine for each offense under § 17-40(d), separate from the general park-use citation authority the Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners holds under § 17-37. Because the fine attaches per offense rather than per day, repeated feeding at the same pond over several visits can generate a new $100 charge each time an officer or park employee observes it.

The rule sits alongside the city's broader Article III park regulations, giving New Britain's parks department a direct tool against the goose and duck overpopulation that heavy feeding at ponds like those in Walnut Hill Park or Willow Brook Park tends to create. There is no permit or waiver process written into § 17-40(d) itself; the prohibition is absolute for the general public.