Is it illegal to feed ducks?

The short answer

• No state rule we read bans feeding ducks statewide. Virginia's law instead lets each city ban it in crowded areas, with signs and a civil fine of no more than $50.
• Two cities reach your own yard: Des Moines bans feeding waterfowl on public and private land, and West Fargo bans feeding geese, ducks and other large fowl anywhere in the city.
• Most bans stop at public land. Carmel, Indiana fines up to $100 on city property, Las Vegas $10 in city parks and plazas, and Reno bans it except at marked spots in three parks.
• Every US national park bans feeding any wildlife, and Michigan bans feeding birds at Belle Isle State Park and waterfowl at three state harbors.
• The stated reasons are crowding and disease: Connecticut's wildlife agency names avian cholera, bird flu, botulism and duck viral enteritis, which spread where fed birds pack together.

Not under any state law we read, but in a growing list of cities, yes. The bans are local. Des Moines and West Fargo ban feeding ducks and geese anywhere in the city, your own yard included. Carmel, Indiana bans it on city property, with fines up to $100. Las Vegas bans it in city parks, and Reno bans it everywhere but three marked spots. Every US national park bans feeding any wildlife.

In these rules, feeding has a wide meaning. Bristol, Virginia defines it as to "give, place, expose, deposit or scatter any edible material." Des Moines uses the same words and adds "distribute." So tossing crusts counts, and so does corn left on a lawn where ducks find it. Waterfowl means ducks, geese and swans, the bird family Anatidae. Des Moines stretches the word to any bird that "frequents the water," and names gulls.

Two answers go around online. One says feeding ducks is against the law everywhere. The other says it is a harmless pastime nobody can stop. Neither fits the rules we read. The only federal rule we found covers national park land. Off that land, the answer turns on your city, and sometimes on one pond inside it.

The rules, place by place#

Read from the texts cited below on November 12, 2026. Where a row rests on a news report, the year of the report is given. Each row is a ruling made in the sections that follow.

Two rows reach your own yard: Des Moines and West Fargo. The rest stop at public land, at a sign, or at the park boundary.

Citywide: your yard is not exempt#

Des Moines passed its rule on November 1, 2021. It bans feeding deer or waterfowl "on lands either publicly or privately owned." The penalty is a misdemeanor or a municipal infraction, and each day counts as a new offense. A court can also order you to stop and clean up. Legal hunting bait, city staff and licensed wildlife rehabilitators are exempt.

The same rule shapes your songbird feeders. Feed must sit in a feeder of no more than one cubic foot, at least 4 ft up. The feeder must be where deer or waterfowl "are unable to eat from them." So a ground feeder or a scatter of cracked corn on a lawn by a pond breaks the rule there. The feeder ordinances page compares Des Moines with other cities' height rules.

West Fargo acted in November 2022 after years of complaints about Canada geese, InForum reported. The list is long: "turkey, geese, ducks, pheasants, wood ducks, owls, eagles, and any other type of fowl not being kept for agricultural purposes." Songbirds are left out. Feeding means making food, "including corn or seeds," available outdoors. Fruit trees, gardens and flower beds do not count. The fine is $50 or $100, and a first offense is an infraction.

Public land only: parks, pools and plazas#

Carmel, Indiana passed its ban by a unanimous vote on August 15, 2016, Current in Carmel reported. It covers feeding ducks or geese on city property, such as the Veterans Memorial reflecting pool and the Japanese garden. Fines run up to $100, even for a first offense. The city had spent more than $25,000 on cleanup since the pool reopened the year before. One councilor called the mess "a health hazard." The city attorney said the target was repeat offenders with large amounts of bread, not families.

Las Vegas added birds and other wildlife to its park feeding ban in November 2020. Pigeon feeding was already banned. The rule covers city parks, recreation facilities and public plazas. The fine is $10. The city said it got complaints every week, and named the ponds at Lorenzi Park and Floyd Lamb Park. The Parks and Recreation director can grant written exceptions.

Reno goes the other way round. City code section 8.23.175 bans feeding ducks. But the city has marked spots at Virginia Lake, Idlewild and Teglia's Paradise parks where you may. The city asks you to feed "in-water with appropriate duck food." It says bread, popcorn, pastries and cookies "provide little nutritional value."

The Colony, Texas says it in one line: "Feeding of ducks shall be permitted only in city parks where authorized."

Bristol, Virginia: a sign and a warning first#

Virginia has no statewide ban. Its 2004 law, Code 29.1-527.1, lets any city or county ban feeding ducks and geese instead. The area must be "so heavily populated" that feeding is "a threat to public health or the environment," in the governing body's opinion. The city must post signs and enforce the rule itself. The fine is civil and may not exceed $50. No city may use the law inside a national or state park or forest, or a wildlife management area.

Bristol used it in 2019. Its section 14-11 bans feeding waterfowl in the city, with a condition. No violation occurs unless signs are posted around the area and an officer "has provided a prior warning." The civil fine is $50. The stated purpose is "to reduce the population of waterfowl on public property." Council named Cumberland Square Park and the Eastern Little League Field as problem spots, WJHL reported. The state law does not require the warning. Bristol added it.

State and federal land#

In every US national park, 36 CFR 2.2(a)(2) bans "the feeding" of wildlife. A mallard on a park lake is wildlife. The penalties and the state park rules are on our page about feeders at campsites and in parks.

Michigan's land use orders single out a few state sites. At Belle Isle State Park in Detroit, you may not "feed geese, gulls, and other bird species." At the Port Austin, East Tawas and Lexington mooring facilities, you may not feed "waterfowl or other aquatic birds." We found no statewide line.

A worked case: one bag of bread, four ponds#

Take a bag of stale crusts and walk it to four ponds under the rules above.

Pond 1: the reflecting pool at Carmel's Veterans Memorial. It is city property. Tossing a crust is feeding, and the fine can reach $100 the first time.

Pond 2: a private pond behind a house in Des Moines. The land is private, but the rule covers "privately owned" land too. Each day you feed counts as a separate offense.

Pond 3: Cumberland Square Park in Bristol. If a sign is posted and an officer has warned you, the next crust costs $50. With no sign, or no warning yet, there is no violation under the text.

Pond 4: the marked spot at Virginia Lake in Reno. Feeding is allowed here. The city still asks for duck food in the water, not bread.

So the crusts break the rule at the first two ponds and, after a warning, at the third. At the fourth they are legal but the city asks you not to use them. The what not to feed birds page explains why bread fills a bird up without feeding it.

Why cities ban it: crowding and disease#

The reason the agencies give is crowding. Connecticut's wildlife division says dense groups of ducks "greatly enhance the chances of disease transmission." It names avian cholera, avian influenza (bird flu), botulism and duck viral enteritis. It adds that aspergillosis, a fungus, kills waterfowl "when they eat moldy, rotting grain," which is the same danger as moldy seed in a feeder. Low quality food such as bread, chips or popcorn can leave birds short of nutrients. The agency lists deformed "propeller" wings among the results. Des Moines writes the same ideas into its rule: disease in people and pets, aggression, and birds that lose their fear of predators.

The cities add the cleanup. Las Vegas says some waterfowl "drop up to a pound of feces every day." Reno says heavy goose droppings can "over fertilize lawns" and feed algae in its lakes. Bird flu is mostly a waterfowl, gull and raptor problem rather than a songbird one, as our bird diseases page explains. And bread left on the bank draws rats as surely as spilled seed under a feeder does.

Where this answer stops#

• A sample, not a census. We read seven cities, two states and the federal park rule. Thousands of towns have rules we did not read. Boise is often named as a city that bans duck feeding in parks. Its code site refused our request. Idaho Fish and Game's answer on it has been taken down. So Boise is not in the table.
• News rows are dated. Carmel rests on a 2016 report and West Fargo on a 2022 report. Their code pages would not load for us. Codes change.
• Penalties are what the text states. Reno, The Colony and Michigan's orders give no figure on the pages we read.
• Not covered. Ducks you keep yourself, hunting bait and Canada. West Fargo exempts fowl kept for farming, and the others do not say. Hunting bait has its own rules.
• Other rules add to these. A posted park sign, an HOA rule or a lease can be stricter than the city code.

If you live near a pond, search your city code for "waterfowl," "feeding" and "wildlife." Then read any sign at the water's edge. Songbird feeders are a separate question, answered on the feeder ordinances page. The rest of the problems section covers what is eating your seed, and the site FAQ has the short answer on feeding birds in general.

Frequently asked questions#

Is it illegal to feed ducks?

Not under any state law we read, but it is illegal in many cities and parks. Des Moines and West Fargo ban it anywhere in the city, private yards included. Carmel, Indiana bans it on city property with fines up to $100. Las Vegas bans feeding wildlife in city parks and plazas, with a $10 fine. Reno bans it except at marked spots in three parks. Every US national park bans feeding wildlife. Check your city code and any sign at the pond.

Can I feed ducks in my own backyard?

In most places no rule covers it, but two cities in our table say no. Des Moines bans feeding ducks, geese, swans and gulls on land that is publicly or privately owned, and each day counts as a new offense. West Fargo bans feeding geese, ducks and other large fowl anywhere in the city. Des Moines also wants songbird feeders placed where waterfowl cannot eat from them, so a low tray by a pond can break the rule too.

What is the fine for feeding ducks?

The fines we found run from $10 to $100. Las Vegas charges $10 in city parks. Bristol, Virginia charges a $50 civil fine, and Virginia law caps any city's fine at $50. West Fargo charges $50 or $100 for a first offense. Carmel, Indiana fines up to $100, even the first time. Des Moines makes it a misdemeanor or a municipal infraction, counts each day as a separate offense, and can order you to clean up.

Why can't you feed ducks at the park?

Because feeding packs birds together, and crowded birds spread disease. Connecticut's wildlife agency names avian cholera, bird flu, botulism and duck viral enteritis, and says aspergillosis kills waterfowl that eat moldy grain. Bread and chips lack the nutrients the birds need, and the agency ties poor food to deformed wings. Cities add the cleanup: Carmel spent more than $25,000 on one pool, and Las Vegas says some waterfowl drop up to a pound of feces a day.

Is feeding ducks illegal in national parks?

Yes. Federal rule 36 CFR 2.2(a)(2) bans feeding wildlife in every US national park unit, and a duck at a park lake is wildlife. The rule does not depend on the food, so seed, corn and duck pellets count as much as bread. Our page on feeders at campsites and in parks covers the federal and state park rules in more detail.

Sources and further reading

1. Ordinance No. 16,066, Feeding of deer and waterfowl is prohibited (Sec. 18-215 to 18-218) City of Des Moines, Iowa Passed November 1, 2021; no feeding of deer or waterfowl on public or private land; waterfowl includes ducks, geese, swan and gulls; feed means to give, place, expose, deposit, distribute or scatter; songbird feeders 1 cu ft, 4 ft up, out of reach of waterfowl; misdemeanor or municipal infraction, each day separate, clean-up order
2. Ordinance 19-6, Sec. 14-11 Unlawful feeding of waterfowl (first reading July 9, 2019) City of Bristol, Virginia, City Council agenda packet Feeding waterfowl prohibited in the City, but no violation unless signs are posted and an officer has given a prior warning; Anatidae including domestic ducks and geese; civil fine of $50; purpose to reduce waterfowl on public property
3. City of Bristol, VA passes ordinance to make it illegal to feed ducks, geese WJHL Tri-Cities News Passed 5-0, effective 30 days later, applies where signs are posted, $50 fine; Cumberland Square Park and Eastern Little League Field named
4. Code of Virginia 29.1-527.1, Feeding of migratory and nonmigratory waterfowl Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System 2004; any locality may ban waterfowl feeding in heavily populated areas; must post signage; civil fine not to exceed $50; not in national or state parks, forests or wildlife management areas
5. Carmel City Council bans feeding ducks on city property (17 Aug 2016) Adam Aasen, Current in Carmel Unanimous vote August 15, 2016; ducks or geese on city property, including the Veterans Memorial reflecting pool and Japanese garden; fines up to $100 even for a first offense; more than $25,000 in cleanup
6. Feeding wild geese will now be illegal in West Fargo (23 Nov 2022) Wendy Reuer, InForum Turkey, geese, ducks, pheasants, wood ducks, owls, eagles and any fowl not kept for agricultural purposes; not songbirds; $50 or $100, first offense an infraction; corn or seeds count, gardens and fruit trees do not
7. Duck Feeding City of Reno, Parks and Recreation Feeding otherwise prohibited by RMC 8.23.175; designated spots at Virginia Lake, Idlewild and Teglia's Paradise parks; feed in-water with appropriate duck food; bread and popcorn of little nutritional value; droppings feed algae
8. Feeding Wildlife Now Prohibited (4 Nov 2020) City of Las Vegas City parks, recreational facilities and public plazas; wildlife including birds; $10 fine; some waterfowl drop up to a pound of feces a day; exceptions by written authorization
9. Wildlife Ordinances (Sec. 5-24) City of The Colony, Texas Feeding of ducks permitted only in city parks where authorized
10. Land Use Orders of the Director (Orders 2.110 and 5.12) Michigan Department of Natural Resources Order 5.12(24)(f): no feeding geese, gulls and other bird species at Belle Isle State Park; Order 2.110: no feeding waterfowl or other aquatic birds at Port Austin, East Tawas and Lexington mooring facilities
11. 36 CFR 2.2, Wildlife protection National Park Service, via Cornell Legal Information Institute (a)(2) prohibits the feeding of wildlife in park areas
12. Do Not Feed Waterfowl Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Wildlife Division Dense congregations greatly enhance disease transmission; avian cholera, avian influenza, botulism, duck viral enteritis; aspergillosis from moldy grain; bread, chips and popcorn lack nutrients; deformed (propeller) wings