Pasadena Cracks Down on Wildlife Feeding With Strict Enforcement

The City of Pasadena is actively enforcing a municipal ordinance that prohibits residents from feeding non-domesticated mammalian predators, imposing fines up to $2,000 and potential jail time for violations.

Pasadena’s Municipal Code 6.32.110 specifically bans feeding coyotes, raccoons, foxes and opossums as part of the city’s comprehensive Urban Wildlife Management Plan. The ordinance aims to protect both animals and human safety.

“Many well-meaning folks think they are helping wildlife by feeding them. But the truth is, leaving food for wildlife is harmful and can negatively impact the entire ecosystem,” a Pasadena Humane official once said.

Violations constitute misdemeanor charges punishable by fines ranging from $300 to $2,000, imprisonment in county jail for up to one year, or both penalties combined.

Wildlife experts warn that feeding creates dangerous dependencies and disrupts natural ecosystems. The practice leads to habituated wildlife behavior, increases dangerous human-wildlife interactions and can cause massive overpopulation problems. Property damage from wildlife overpopulation can reach thousands of dollars. Unnaturally high populations become unable to sustain their numbers, leading to disease outbreaks that may be transmissible to humans.

“Feeding wildlife, either directly or indirectly, can be a death sentence for wild animals that become reliant on unnatural food sources,” according to wildlife management documentation.

The city has developed a three-pronged wildlife management approach consisting of public education, law enforcement and emergency response protocols. The Urban Wildlife Management Plan extends beyond mammalian predators to include bears, cougars and other wildlife species.

The ordinance includes a narrow exception allowing feeding of trapped, unweaned or injured animals between the time police are notified and the city retrieves the animals.

Residents should call 911 for immediate emergencies involving coyotes biting or attempting to bite humans. The Pasadena Humane Society responds to attacks and aggressive habituated coyote behavior at (626) 792-7151.

For non-emergency wildlife sightings, residents can use the City Service Center online system or call (626) 744-7311. The system operates 24 hours daily, though requests are addressed during business hours.

The enforcement approach works with California Code of Regulations Section 251.1, which defines harassment as intentional acts disrupting animals’ normal behavior patterns including breeding, feeding or sheltering.

The city’s surveillance system through the Citizen Service Center app tracks wildlife sightings, enabling targeted educational campaigns and conflict mitigation efforts.