Noblesville, IN Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Wildlife feeding in Noblesville is governed primarily by Indiana DNR rules under IC 14-22 (Fish and Wildlife) and Title 312 of the Indiana Administrative Code, with the City Code providing a nuisance backstop. (1) DEER FEEDING: Indiana has tightened deer-feeding rules in recent years primarily for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) management. Following the April 2022 detection of CWD in a wild deer in LaGrange County (Indiana's first wild CWD case), the DNR established CWD surveillance zones and tightened feeding/baiting restrictions; check the current DNR CWD map at on.IN.gov/cwd because the zone can be modified by DNR rule. Statewide, the DNR generally PROHIBITS baiting or feeding deer for purposes of hunting on public land and STRONGLY DISCOURAGES residential deer feeding because of the disease-transmission risk that comes from concentrating animals at feeding stations. Hamilton County is not historically inside a designated CWD surveillance zone (verify current status). (2) BEAR FEEDING: Indiana has only a handful of documented wild black-bear sightings annually (typically dispersing juveniles from Kentucky or Michigan), and central Indiana including Hamilton County is not established black-bear range. Indiana DNR rules require any black-bear sighting to be reported to the DNR and prohibit harassment or feeding of bears. (3) MIGRATORY BIRDS: Bird feeders for migratory songbirds (cardinals, finches, chickadees, hummingbirds, etc.) and resident species are unregulated by Noblesville and by the Indiana DNR beyond the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibitions on capturing or harming protected species. (4) NUISANCE WILDLIFE: Intentional feeding that creates a sanitation nuisance, attracts rats or raccoons in numbers, or habituates coyotes/foxes to residential neighborhoods can be cited by Hamilton County Animal Services or Noblesville Code Enforcement under the general nuisance and lot-maintenance provisions of the City Code. Coyote sightings in Noblesville have increased as the city has grown north along SR 37 and Allisonville Road into former agricultural land; the Indiana DNR Wildlife Hotline at 812-334-1137 provides nuisance-wildlife technical guidance. (5) NOBLESVILLE CITY CODE: Chapter 90 does not contain a 'wildlife feeding' section, and Section 90.30 ('Disposition of Dead Animals') is the closest related provision (governing carcass disposal, not feeding). The City relies on general nuisance enforcement for any feeding-related complaint.