San Rafael, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SRMC § 19.20.070.C.4
- Covered locations
- Any park, plaza, trail, or city building
- Covered animals
- Any animal, not just owned pets
- Exceptions in the clause
- None stated
- Enforcement authority
- Code enforcement official, § 1.08.020
- Violation classification
- Public nuisance under § 19.20.110
Summary
San Rafael Municipal Code § 19.20.070.C.4 bars anyone from abandoning, hunting, capturing, harming, or feeding any animal in a city park or building. The clause is broader than the leash rules right above it: those cover only dogs and pets an owner maintains, while this one reaches wildlife such as deer, geese, and raccoons with no ownership qualifier at all.
C.Dogs, Pets and Other Animals.1.No person shall bring or allow a dog, pet, or other animal owned or maintained by them into any park, building or portion thereof, unless such dog or pet is on a leash and under control at all times.2.Any person having custody or control of a dog, pet, or other animal in any park, building, or portion thereof, shall be responsible for any damage caused by such dog, pet, or other animal even if on leash and under control, including but not limited to the removal of feces.3.The provisions of subsection A1 above shall not apply to service dogs if laws or regulations authorize service dogs in areas otherwise prohibited by this chapter.4.No person shall abandon, hunt, capture, harm, or feed any animal in any park or building.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 37).
Full Breakdown
070, titled 'Dogs, Pets and Other Animals,' to animal conduct on city park and building property. 3, require any dog, pet, or other animal 'owned or maintained' by a visitor to stay on a leash and under control, make the handler liable for any damage the animal causes, including feces removal, and exempt service dogs from the leash rule. B. The clause carries no stated exception, permit process, or minimum-distance threshold, unlike the alcohol rules in subsection D, which allow consumption under an event permit. 20 a public nuisance. 2, and disobeying a posted rule is separately unlawful.
Violations & Fines
A § 19.20.070.C.4 violation is charged as a public nuisance under § 19.20.110 and enforced by any code enforcement official, defined at § 1.08.020, acting under the authority granted at § 19.20.100. The chapter routes enforcement through Code Enforcement Chapters 1.40, 1.42, 1.44, and 1.46, which give the city both citation and infraction or misdemeanor prosecution paths and administrative abatement remedies rather than fixing one flat fine for a first offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I feed the geese at a San Rafael park?
Does the ban cover feeding stray or feral cats?
Who enforces this rule and what happens if I'm cited?
Are there exceptions for wildlife rescue or licensed rehabbers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Rafael
California rules heatmap·Compare San Rafael to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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