Temecula, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

California Code of Regulations Title 14 §251.3 prohibits feeding big game mammals including deer, elk, bighorn sheep, antelope, bear, and wild pigs. Fish & Game Code §4150-4155 regulates non-game and predatory mammals such as coyotes. While not always specifically illegal at the city level, feeding coyotes is strongly discouraged because it habituates them to humans, leading to bolder behavior, pet attacks, and eventual public-safety conflicts that may require lethal removal. In Temecula's eastern foothills, Wine Country, and the western hillsides near Murrieta Creek and Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, deer, coyotes, bobcats, and occasional mountain lions and black bears pass through residential edges. Leaving pet food outside, unsecured trash, fallen fruit, and water sources unintentionally attracts wildlife and predators. Bird feeders are generally permitted but should be cleaned regularly, hung where they don't drop seed onto the ground (which attracts rodents), and removed if bears are active. Hummingbird feeders pose less risk. Report mountain lion sightings, livestock attacks, or aggressive coyote encounters to California Department of Fish & Wildlife. To haze coyotes that approach yards, residents are advised to make loud noises, wave arms, and never run.