Wildlife Feeding: Santa Clara vs Sunnyvale
How do wildlife feeding rules compare between Santa Clara, CA and Sunnyvale, CA?
Santa Clara and Sunnyvale have similar restriction levels.
Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara prohibits feeding of wildlife including coyotes, raccoons, deer, feral cats, and pigeons under City Code Chapter 6.10, with penalties intended to reduce urban wildlife conflicts.
View full Santa Clara rules →Sunnyvale, CA
Santa Clara County
Intentionally feeding coyotes, raccoons, skunks, deer, feral cats, or non-songbird wildlife is prohibited in Sunnyvale as a public nuisance due to the risk of human-wildlife conflict in Baylands-adjacent neighborhoods.
View full Sunnyvale rules →Key Facts Comparison
| Fact | Santa Clara | Sunnyvale |
|---|---|---|
| Prohibited Targets | Coyotes, raccoons, deer, ferals | - |
| Bird Feeders | Allowed with maintenance | - |
| Feral Cats | TNR programs only | - |
| Trash Containment | Required | - |
| State Law | Big game feeding banned | - |
| Prohibited feeding | - | Coyotes, deer, raccoons, turkeys |
| Feral cats | - | TNR programs only |
| Songbirds | - | Allowed with clean feeders |
| Enforcement | - | Animal Control / Code Enforcement |
| Hotspot | - | Baylands-adjacent streets |
Highlighted rows indicate differences between cities.
Santa Clara FAQ
Can I feed the deer that come into my yard?
No. Feeding deer is prohibited by both Santa Clara city code and California state law.
Are bird feeders allowed?
Yes, for songbirds, but seed must be cleaned up and feeders should not attract rodents, raccoons, or larger wildlife.
Sunnyvale FAQ
Can I leave water out for wildlife in a drought?
Water for songbirds and domestic pets is allowed. Water stations that intentionally attract deer or coyotes are treated the same as feeding.
Is feeding squirrels a violation?
Incidental feeding from a bird feeder is tolerated, but deliberate hand-feeding or ground feeding that attracts raccoons and rats can result in a nuisance citation.
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