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

Feeding wildlife in unincorporated Mendocino County is controlled primarily by California state law, backed by County guidance. Under California Code of Regulations, Title 14, §251.3, 'no person shall knowingly feed big game mammals, as defined in Section 350 of these regulations' — a category that includes deer, bear and similar large wild mammals. A companion rule, 14 CCR §251.1, prohibits harassing, herding or driving wildlife except as authorized. Mendocino County's Wildlife Exclusionary / Wildlife Nuisance program reinforces this: the County warns that by feeding deer, raccoons or other wildlife in your yard, you will inadvertently attract mountain lions, which prey upon them — a serious concern because bears and mountain lions are the largest wild land mammals in the county and are fairly common. The County promotes non-lethal deterrents for wildlife conflicts involving mountain lions, bobcats, bears, coyotes, raccoons, birds of prey and beavers, and directs residents to the County Agriculture Department for help with smaller nuisance vertebrate pests. No separate countywide ordinance criminalizing all wildlife feeding was identified beyond the state big-game prohibition, so the controlling legal rule for the largest animals is 14 CCR §251.3, supplemented by County guidance discouraging feeding of any wildlife. Intentionally or even unintentionally creating an attractant can also create public-safety and nuisance issues.