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

Unincorporated Shasta County does not have a stand-alone ordinance prohibiting the feeding of wildlife in its County Code. The controlling rule comes from California regulations administered by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Title 14, California Code of Regulations, section 251.3 provides: 'No person shall knowingly feed big game mammals, as defined in Section 350 of these regulations.' Under 14 CCR 350, 'big game' means deer (genus Odocoileus), elk (genus Cervus), pronghorn antelope, black bear (genus Ursus), and Nelson bighorn sheep. This statewide prohibition applies throughout Shasta County, which has substantial deer and bear populations, and is intended to prevent habituation, property conflicts, and public-safety risks. Intentionally feeding bears in particular can also lead to depredation problems and is strongly discouraged by wildlife authorities. The County's own animal code does address related nuisance situations indirectly - for example, 6.04.050 governs domestic-animal sanitation and nuisance - but it does not separately regulate the feeding of wild animals. Residents should also note that feeding that attracts predators, or that creates an attractive nuisance, can raise liability and depredation issues under state law, and CDFW handles depredation permits for problem wildlife. For bird feeding and small wildlife not classified as big game, the state feeding prohibition does not apply, but residents are encouraged to avoid practices that draw bears or large game.