Sioux City, IA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Sioux City's wildlife-feeding ban was adopted by the City Council in October 2012 after a 5-0 vote and final passage, codified under Title 7 of the Sioux City Municipal Code at https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/siouxcity-ia/. The ordinance prohibits any person from intentionally placing food, salt, mineral blocks, or other attractants for wild deer or wild turkeys inside city limits. The rule was motivated by rising deer-vehicle collisions and damage to landscaping; Iowa DNR deer counts in Sioux City dropped from 47 in 2012 to 28 in 2014 after enforcement began. The ordinance carves out a practical exception for residents whose gardens, fruit trees, nut trees, or other agricultural plantings produce apples, carrots, acorns, or similar foods that attract wildlife as a side effect — those uses are not penalized so long as feeding is not the purpose. Bird feeders for songbirds are not prohibited but should be maintained to avoid attracting deer or generating rodent nuisance citations under Title 7. At the state level, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources regulates baiting and feeding for hunting purposes under Iowa Code Chapter 481A (Wildlife) and Iowa Administrative Code 571 Chapter 106; the Iowa DNR has placed Woodbury County under deer-disease surveillance in some years for CWD monitoring, and statewide deer-baiting rules apply during hunting season. Sioux City Animal Control and the Sioux City Police Department handle local enforcement.