Sterling Heights, MI Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

1 of the Property Maintenance Code, adopted as a local amendment under § 11-87, is titled "Rodent prevention" and requires all owners or occupants in the city to take six specific steps. Subsection (6) is the wildlife-feeding rule: owners and occupants must elevate to a height of at least 48 inches above ground level all containers used for the feeding of wild birds or animals. The same section requires storing garbage and debris in compliance with Chapter 23 of the City Code (1), keeping buildings and premises free of trash, debris, or rubbish that could shelter rodents (2), storing building materials, boxes, and food stuffs so they cannot provide rodent harborage or a food supply (3), piling firewood at least eight inches off the ground in stacks no higher than six feet, kept out of any front yard and at least three feet from any side lot line (4), and keeping all lots, buildings, and structures free of litter, garbage, or debris at all times (5).

3, subject to constitutional search-and-seizure limits, seeking a warrant if entry is refused. A property found with an unelevated bird or animal feeder is a documented violation the Code Official can cite along with any related rodent-harborage conditions on the same lot.