Tacoma prohibits feeding deer, raccoons, coyotes, and other wild mammals because intentional feeding creates dangerous habituation, attracts pests, and increases conflicts in dense neighborhoods near Point Defiance and other green spaces.
Tacoma Municipal Code rules and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife guidance treat the intentional feeding of mammalian wildlife as a public nuisance that endangers both people and animals. Residents should secure trash, bring in pet food at night, and avoid leaving food scraps in yards. Bird feeders are generally allowed but should be placed and maintained to avoid attracting rats, raccoons, or bears. The city focuses enforcement on repeat offenders whose feeding draws coyotes, raccoons, or deer that damage gardens, threaten pets, or cross busy roads. Education and warnings come first, followed by formal nuisance abatement and fines if behavior continues.
Repeatedly feeding deer, raccoons, coyotes, or other wildlife after notice, or maintaining unsanitary feeding stations that attract rats, can lead to nuisance citations, abatement orders, and escalating fines.
Tacoma, WA
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Tacoma, WA
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Tacoma, WA
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Tacoma, WA
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Tacoma, WA
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Tacoma, WA
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See how Tacoma's wildlife feeding rules stack up against other locations.
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