Novato, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Section 3-1.32 (Feeding of Certain Wild Animals) is part of Chapter III, the Novato City Council's animal control ordinance. Subsection (a) says no person shall intentionally feed or in any manner knowingly provide food for non-captive wild and/or undomesticated animals as defined in § 3-1.24, including, but not limited to, coyotes, mountain lions, foxes, bobcats, raccoons, skunks, opossums and turkeys. Two phrases carry the weight. 'In any manner knowingly provide food' reaches more than hand feeding: leaving out food on purpose for wildlife falls inside it. And 'non-captive' keeps the rule aimed at free-roaming animals, not animals held lawfully.

The cross-reference to § 3-1.24 matters because that section defines wild and undomesticated animals broadly. It names the dog family members wolf, coyote and jackal, the cat family including mountain lion and bobcat, and the even-toed hoofed mammals such as elk, moose, deer and antelope. Deer are therefore within the definition that § 3-1.32 borrows. Section 3-1.24 also sweeps in any other species venomous to humans, with the honey-producing bee excepted. Turkeys are not in the § 3-1.24 list, but § 3-1.32 names them directly.

Subsection (b) provides the one exception: the section does not apply to persons legally engaged in trapping wild animals with devices that use food items as bait pursuant to applicable laws. The code prints no exception for bird feeders, so the safe reading is that the section is aimed at the animals it lists and at others within the § 3-1.24 definition.

Cat feeding is handled separately. Under § 3-4.3(f), no resident is discouraged or penalized for caring for or feeding cats that are not owned cats, so § 3-1.32 does not reach that care. The Marin Humane Society, the animal services agency under § 3-1.11, enforces the chapter through officers who are deemed peace officers, and § 3-1.12 empowers them to issue citations. Related rules sit nearby: § 3-3.2 makes it a misdemeanor for a dog owner to let a dog hunt, chase, course or kill deer in the city.