Richmond, VA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Richmond's ban on feeding wildlife applies specifically to the Downtown Riverfront Canal Area, the property the City leases to the Richmond Riverfront Corporation for maintenance and operation, plus the bed, waters and walls of the Haxall Canal and the James River and Kanawha Canal that the City controls directly, as defined in § 8-474. That area runs generally from the vicinity of Sixth Street on the west to 18th Street on the east, encompassing Brown's Island, the restored canal segments and adjoining walkways, and the segment between the floodwall opening and the Great Shiplock, as mapped on Department of Public Works drawing No.

P-23226. 5-44 (§ 8-477). Section 8-479 carves out no exception of its own, so feeding bread to ducks, food to turtles, or scraps to the resident Canada geese along the canal walk is unlawful regardless of intent. Because § 8-479 does not name a misdemeanor class, the general penalty default at § 1-16(b) governs, and the offense is prosecuted as a Class 1 misdemeanor, the Code's harshest default tier for an unclassified violation.