Putnam County, FL Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)
Key Facts
- Ban
- Feeding or petting wild animals prohibited in parks
- Related ban
- Capturing/collecting/harming any animal life also barred
- Exception
- Fish taken as edible/game species (fishing rules apply)
- Permit path
- Only with director's specific authorization
- Governing section
- Putnam County Code § 29-3(a)(7)-(8)
Summary
Feeding or petting wild animals is flatly unlawful in any Putnam County park, listed among the chapter's prohibited park activities in Sec. 29-3(a)(7). The same subsection also bans capturing, collecting or harming any animal life on park property, with a narrow carve-out for fish caught as an 'edible' or 'game' species, and no permit exception unless the director specifically authorizes the activity.
(a)[Generally.] It shall be unlawful for any person to do any of the following in any park or designated area within a park unless specifically permitted to do so by a permit issued pursuant to this chapter, other than activities of a governmental agency within the scope of its authority and activities authorized by the director (parents or guardians are responsible for violations by minors): ... (7)Feeding or petting wild animals.(8)Capturing, collecting, or in any way harming any animal life, except fish commonly referred to as "edible" or "game" species.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 29-3(a) of the Parks and Recreation chapter opens with a blanket prohibition covering everything listed in its numbered subsections, applicable in any Putnam County park or designated area within one, unless the person has a permit issued under the chapter, is a government agency acting within its authority, or has the park director's specific authorization; parents and guardians answer for violations by minors under their supervision. Item (7) of that list bans 'feeding or petting wild animals' outright, with no permit path offered for this specific item beyond the general director-authorization language.
Item (8), immediately next, extends the same prohibition to 'capturing, collecting, or in any way harming any animal life,' carving out only fish taken as an 'edible' or 'game' species, so hooking a bass under Sec. 29-5(f)'s fishing rules stays legal while handling or harassing a park's wildlife does not. The same section separately addresses domestic animals: Sec. 29-3(j) requires dogs and other domestic animals in a park to stay restrained outside marked animal areas and to wear their county license tag, with owners responsible for cleaning up excrement, and it carves out working police and guide dogs and animals kept or used by the department itself (Sec.
29-3(l)). Violations of the Parks and Recreation chapter's prohibited-activities section are enforced by the department and law enforcement as civil infractions under the chapter's general enforcement provision.
Violations & Fines
Feeding, petting, capturing, collecting or otherwise harming wildlife on Putnam County park property violates Sec. 29-3(a)(7)-(8) unless the park director has specifically authorized the activity. Enforcement officers, meaning Parks and Recreation Department staff and law enforcement, cite the conduct as a civil infraction under the chapter's general enforcement section, separate from any state wildlife law that may also apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I feed the ducks or deer at a Putnam County park?
Is catching or handling wildlife in a park allowed?
Who enforces the wildlife-feeding ban in Putnam County parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Putnam County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Putnam County to another location·View the Florida animal ordinances overview
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