Santa Rosa County's animal ordinance does not set a general wildlife-feeding ban. Feeding wild animals is largely governed by the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which prohibits intentionally feeding certain wildlife such as bears, alligators, and foxes.
The county Animal Control Ordinance regulates only dogs and cats and expressly excludes animals classified as wildlife, so it contains no general prohibition on feeding wild animals. Feeding wildlife in Florida is instead governed by the FWC. State rule (Ch. 68A-4, F.A.C.) makes it illegal to intentionally feed or place food that attracts bears, and Florida law prohibits feeding alligators and crocodiles under FS 372.667/379.409. FWC also restricts feeding of foxes, raccoons, and other nuisance wildlife. Managed community-cat caregivers under the county ordinance must make every effort to minimize impact on local wildlife when feeding cats. Consult FWC for specific wildlife-feeding prohibitions in your area.
Wildlife-feeding violations are enforced by FWC under state law, not the county; intentionally feeding bears or alligators is a state offense with fines and possible misdemeanor charges.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Santa Rosa County, FL
Backyard composting of yard and food scraps is allowed in Santa Rosa County with no permit for home-scale piles. Keep compost contained and free of odor and ...
Santa Rosa County, FL
Santa Rosa County has no ordinance banning residential artificial turf, and it is not counted as required landscaping. The county's landscape code favors nat...
Santa Rosa County, FL
New development in Santa Rosa County must use native, Florida-Friendly species and may not plant invasive exotics. Existing single-family and duplex homes ar...
Santa Rosa County, FL
Rain barrels and rainwater harvesting are legal and encouraged in Santa Rosa County. Florida places no state restriction on collecting rainwater for irrigati...
Santa Rosa County, FL
Santa Rosa County lies in the Northwest Florida Water Management District, which imposes NO day-of-week landscape-irrigation limits. Everyday lawn watering i...
Santa Rosa County, FL
Santa Rosa County Code Enforcement does not investigate vegetative overgrowth — grass, limbs, or woods — on private property. There is no active county weed-...
See how Santa Rosa County's wildlife feeding rules stack up against other locations.
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