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Falls Church staff propose ordinance to ban hunting within city limits
Summary
City staff recommended an ordinance using Virginia Code 15.2-1113.1 to prohibit hunting inside Falls Church’s 2.2 square miles, citing public-safety risks; council scheduled a first reading for Feb. 10 and a public hearing for Feb. 24.
City staff presented a proposed ordinance to ban hunting within the municipal boundaries of Falls Church, saying the city’s dense, 2.2-square-mile footprint creates a public-safety risk that the current code does not explicitly address. The council agreed to place the ordinance on the Feb. 10 agenda for first reading, with a public hearing scheduled for Feb. 24.
The recommendation came from the City Attorney’s office and police department. “The city of Falls Church may by ordinance prevent hunting with firearms or other weapons within 1 half mile of any area in the city and or within the municipal city boundaries,” City Attorney’s executive assistant Maria Rojas told the council, citing Virginia Code 15.2-1113.1 and staff’s recommendation to prohibit hunting within the city limits.
Staff and police said Falls Church currently lacks an explicit code provision addressing hunting or trapping within city limits. Lieutenant Reynolds and other police command staff joined the presentation to review complaints and observations that prompted the proposal. Staff told the council that while hunting incidents are not frequent, the potential harm from discharging weapons in a densely populated area justifies adopting the ordinance.
Council members asked whether the proposal would affect routine rodent control or other trapping on private property; Rojas replied that the proposed ordinance addresses hunting and trapping that involve weapons and would not cover ordinary rodent-control measures. Councilmembers also raised questions about deer in the city during the discussion: staff said there is not currently evidence of an overpopulation that would prompt active culling, and that neighboring counties have different programs (for example, Fairfax County operates a harvest program and Arlington is starting a cull this year). Animal-control staff member Jimmy Overholtz said Falls Church has received only a small number of deer complaints over the past 18 months and that residents generally enjoy seeing deer.
Next steps: the council will consider the ordinance at first reading on Feb. 10; staff said a public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 24. If the council directs additional changes after public comment, staff will return revised language for later readings.
The council did not take final action on the ordinance at the Feb. 3 work session; the item was placed on the regular-meeting calendar for first reading and public comment.
