Travis County, TX Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code § 232.012(e)
- Prohibited acts
- Feeding, disturbing, harming, trapping wildlife
- Enforcing agency
- Travis County Parks Police
- Minimum eviction
- 48 hours plus trespass warning
- Rule effective
- September 30, 2025
Summary
Travis County Park Rules flatly prohibit feeding any animal in a county park, alongside disturbing, harming, collecting, hunting, restraining, trapping, or releasing wildlife, protecting species like the deer and waterfowl found along Lake Travis and the Colorado River park system.
Animals. Visitors are prohibited from disturbing, feeding, harming, collecting, hunting, restraining, trapping or releasing animals.
f. Natural Materials 1. No person shall damage, destroy, disturb, or remove any timber, grass, shrubs, dirt, other vegetation, rock, sand, gravel, caliche, or other similar substance, material, or geologic feature, from any County park or other park property.
2. Plants may not be brought into any County park or other park property.
3. Cutting and/or gathering firewood or other material capable of combustion is prohibited.
4. Edible plants or fruit may be collected for personal consumption if doing so will not harm the plant/tree. [Order # 2025-09-30 Item 53, 09/30/2025]
Effective on: 9/30/2025
Full Breakdown
" The rule applies across every Travis County park, from Hamilton Pool Preserve to Wild Basin Preserve, and sits alongside related protections in the same section: visitors cannot damage or remove archaeological, paleontological, or historical features, cannot dump waste or garbage, and cannot remove natural materials such as timber, rock, or vegetation, though edible plants or fruit may be picked for personal consumption if it will not harm the plant. 002, to let visitors have a safe park experience while protecting the parks for future generations, and it also functions as a public-safety measure, discouraging the kind of habituation that turns deer, raccoons, or waterfowl aggressive toward park visitors. 003.
Violations & Fines
A feeding or wildlife violation is enforced under Section 232.010's general park-rule penalties: Travis County Park Rangers, who are commissioned police officers under Texas Penal Code Chapter 30.05, can confiscate park permits and evict a violator for no fewer than 48 hours with a criminal trespass warning. Repeated or aggravated violations can extend the trespass warning to 30 days, and a criminal trespass warning, unlike an eviction, can be appealed by emailing the Travis County Parks Police at tcpp@traviscountytx.gov within seven days of the warning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I feed the deer or ducks at a Travis County park?
Who enforces the wildlife-feeding ban in Travis County parks?
Can I appeal a trespass warning for feeding wildlife in a county park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Travis County
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Travis County to another location·View the Texas animal ordinances overview
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