Newark, OH Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Section 618.24 of the Newark Code of Ordinances, adopted by Newark City Council in Licking County, Ohio, bars any person from intentionally feeding deer by artificial or supplemental means anywhere within the limits of the City. The definition of feeding is built around height and edibility. It covers placing, or permitting to be placed, fruits, grains, minerals, plants, salt licks, vegetables, seeds, nuts, hay or any other edible material on the ground or within five feet of the ground, where deer could reasonably be expected to eat it. Material that is screened or otherwise effectively protected from deer does not count.

The code carves out several everyday situations. Naturally growing materials, planted garden materials, standing crops, lawn and garden residue kept as mulch or compost, and commercially purchased bird or squirrel feeders (or their equivalent) are not feeding, provided the feeders hang at least five feet above ground level. A homeowner running a bird feeder therefore stays legal only if it clears the five-foot mark.

Enforcement runs through a notice. The property owner must remove any offending material or device within twenty-four hours of a notice of violation being served. As an alternative, the owner can modify the device or change the property so deer cannot reach the prohibited material or feed from the device. Failing to remove or modify is a separate violation of the section.

Division (d) exempts law enforcement officers and agencies, state or federal game officials acting within the scope of their official duties, and any feeding activity specifically permitted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The section sits in Chapter 618, the city's animal chapter, alongside its separate urban deer hunting provisions in Section 618.20. Section 618.24 addresses deer only; it does not set out a feeding rule for other wildlife.