Yuba City, CA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Yuba City Municipal Code §4-12.480 (Article 4 — Other Animals, Chapter 12 — Regulations Pertaining to Dogs and Other Animals) provides: "It shall be unlawful for any person to create a public nuisance by free-feeding any wild animals including any feral cats." The ordinance defines "feral cat" by reference to Cal. Food & Agricultural Code §31752.5 and defines "free-feeding" as "not limiting the amount of food made available to an animal at a single feeding, resulting in excess food which will result in creating inviting conditions for other animals, including wildlife." The primary prohibition states: "It shall be unlawful for any person to make available more food supply than is reasonably adequate for the number of legally allowed domesticated cats the person may care for." An exception exists for persons who qualify for a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program that the City establishes to reduce the feral/wild cat populations. The ordinance was introduced Feb. 3, 2015 and adopted Feb. 17, 2015 as Ordinance 002-15, after public hearings driven by the city's persistent feral chicken (~1,000 birds, descended from a 1950s livestock auction) and feral cat issues. Statewide overlays also apply: Cal. F&G Code §251.1 prohibits harassment of game mammals (which can include intentional habituation), and 14 CCR §251.3 restricts the use of bait to attract certain wildlife. Yuba City sits in a heavy agricultural area with regular raccoon, opossum, skunk, and coyote encounters.