Imperial County, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

We did not identify a dedicated wildlife-feeding ban in the Imperial County code for unincorporated areas. In California, wild animals are managed primarily by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife under the Fish & Game Code, which makes it unlawful to possess most wildlife without authorization and discourages habituating wild animals to people. Imperial County contains substantial desert and the Salton Sea area with diverse wildlife, including protected species, so taking, harassing or keeping wildlife is restricted by state and federal law even where simple feeding is not specifically banned. As a practical matter, feeding wildlife (or leaving pet food and garbage accessible) can attract coyotes, rodents and other animals, creating nuisance, property-damage and disease concerns that the county's Environmental Health and Animal Care and Control programs may respond to, and it can lead to dangerous human-wildlife conflicts. Feeding that creates unsanitary conditions or a public nuisance can also be addressed under general nuisance and health provisions. Note that the county zoning code's animal-keeping limits and the state restricted-species rules govern keeping wild animals, which is separate from feeding them. If you are dealing with problem wildlife, contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife; for nuisance or stray-animal issues, contact Imperial County Animal Care and Control at (442) 265-2655.