Wildlife Feeding Prohibition

Deer eating grass in front of Panther Canyon at Landa Park

Since 2018, the City of New Braunfels has had an established ordinance on the books that prohibits the feeding of wildlife. The ordinance (Sections 82-24 to 82-28) specifically prohibits anyone from intentionally feeding wildlife by placing food on the ground or within reach of any wildlife, including deer, ducks, geese, and squirrels. 

This ordinance applies to the entire city limits, including public parks, private property, and green spaces. Placing any food, like corn, fruit, oats, hay, nuts, wheat, alfalfa, salt blocks, feed, grain, vegetables, or commercially sold wildlife/livestock feed is strictly prohibited. Violators are subject to a citation and fine of up to $500 for each violation. 

The only exceptions to the ordinance are bird feeders with bird food that are placed a minimum of 5-feet off the ground, property owners who have a Land Hunting Permit, and approved wildlife management programs.

Don't Feed the Deer

While the intent of the ordinance is to prohibit the intentional feeding of all wildlife in the city, New Braunfels officials are particularly concerned about the deer population because of a number of health and safety issues. 

Providing food and water causes deer to become dependent on those resources at that location, which often leads to:

  • Malnutrition of wildlife due to poor food quality
  • Property damage, including increased automobile accidents
  • Increased wildlife population in already overpopulated areas
  • The spread of disease and parasite amongst wildlife

On average, the City’s Animal Welfare and Rescue Division handles approximately 500 deceased deer, the majority of which have been struck by vehicles. 

It should also be noted that high concentrations of wildlife in an area lead to high amounts of animal waste in that area, which contains harmful bacteria that can pollute waterways when washed away by rain, causing bacteria pollution in the Comal River and Dry Comal Creek. 

Food from humans provides a false sense of abundance for animals, resulting in significant breeding and repopulation even though the current population isn’t very healthy and the food that they are given is often harmful to them. For example, the jaws and teeth of deer are designed to chew soft vegetation, not pick up feed corn from a flat surface which then leads to sores and wounds. And corn, in particular, has no nutritional value for deer. It’s basically like feeding them candy.

Deer 2
Deer 1

Ordinance Overview

Summary of the Ordinance Prohibiting the Feeding of Wildlife Within the City Limits:


An offense is committed when food is made readily available by it being placed on the ground or within reach of wildlife;

'Food' is defined as bread products, corn, fruit, oats, hay, nuts, wheat, soy products, salt blocks, grain, vegetables, and commercially sold feed; items that are exempt include naturally growing shrubs, live crops, plants, flowers, vegetation, gardens, trees, and fruit or nuts that have fallen on the ground or are in reach of wildlife;

'Wildlife' is defined as undomesticated animals living in the wild;

Citizens are allowed to place food on the ground, in good faith, for the purpose of feeding domesticated animals or livestock located on their property;

Penalties include a warning for a first offense. Second and subsequent offenses will result in prosecution in Municipal Court. These violation are considered a Class C Misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $75 - $500;

Ordinance does not apply to the placement of food into feeders kept at a minimum of five (5) feet above the ground and intended for birds;

Ordinance does not apply to an animal control officer, veterinarian, peace officer, CoNB employee, or federal or state wildlife official who is acting in accordance with a lawfully authorized program to manage wildlife and who is acting within the established scope of said program;

Ordinance does not apply to those who possess a 'Land Hunting Permit' (Section 82-3(d)) and set out feed for the purpose of baiting and attracting game animals.

If you have any questions regarding the ordinance prohibiting the feeding of wildlife within the city limits, please contact the City of New Braunfels River & Watershed Division at (830) 221-4651.

Quick Links

duck

Visitors and residents alike enjoy viewing the wildlife that call New Braunfels home. Deer, waterfowl, and squirrels are common types of wildlife that are seen throughout the city and within our parklands. Although it may be tempting to feed these animals so that you can get a closer look or snap a picture, feeding wildlife can be detrimental to both humans and animals that share urban spaces. 

Animal scat, or fecal matter, contains many types of bacteria. When wildlife gather for feeding close to a body of water, such as along the banks of Landa Lake or the Comal River, they leave their feces behind and their waste is washed into the lake or river during the next rain storm, contaminating the water.

Just as it is unhealthy to feed your pets food that is designed for humans, it is not good for wildlife either. Foods like grilled meat, corn, and bread are not part of a typical wildlife diet. “People food” is often too tempting for wildlife to resist, but it cannot be properly digested and can cause potentially life-threatening consequences for animals. Artificial feeding can cause wildlife to lose the ability to forage for food. It can also disrupt natural migratory patterns of waterfowl, such as ducks and geese, and cause wildlife to lose their instinctive caution around humans.

The search for easy food puts wildlife in dangerous locations or in harm's way. Deer and waterfowl tend to congregate in areas where they are being fed, which is often close to roadways. Wildlife fed in these locations are more likely to be struck by vehicles and cause accidents. The City of New Braunfels Animal Control Department reports that on average approximately 500 deer carcasses are removed from city streets each year as a result from auto collisions. The New Braunfels Police Department reports an average of 15 auto/animal collisions per year with police vehicles. The New Braunfels Fire Department reports an average of 3 auto/animal collisions per year with fire vehicles. 

The high density of the wildlife caused by artificial feeding can increase the spread of diseases and parasites. In the wild, animals are spread out over larger areas and have less direct contact with each other. Artificial feeding causes them to come into direct contact with other animals and their waste, increasing the chances of transmitting or contracting disease.

The City of New Braunfels, with the help of local agencies and stakeholders, has developed a Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) for the Dry Comal Creek and Comal River watersheds to protect and preserve the water quality in these waterbodies. The WPP includes recommendations discouraging the feeding of wildlife in order to minimize bacteria loading to our waterways as well as multiple other reasons.