Council asks staff to draft ordinance on feeding wildlife after residents complain of squirrel damage

Durham City Council on Sept. 18 directed staff to draft an ordinance regulating the feeding of wildlife after council members said residents — particularly from the Trotter Ridge neighborhood — reported damage, public-health concerns and repeated nuisance behavior.

Assistant City Manager Carmisha Wallace, representing the newly formed Housing & Neighborhood Services department, told the council staff research found three North Carolina jurisdictions — the Town of Hillsborough, the City of Asheville and Buncombe County — with rules that address wildlife feeding. Wallace said Hillsborough’s approach is primarily educational and that Asheville and Buncombe County have adopted rules in response to bear conflicts.

Wallace identified key questions for council direction if it wishes to adopt an ordinance: a definition of “wildlife,” what conduct the city would prohibit (for example, feeders placed on the ground or troughs intended to feed animals), who enforces the rule and whether enforcement should be primarily education and notice rather than civil penalties. She recommended code enforcement within Housing & Neighborhood Services as the enforcement arm if council chose to move forward.

Council members emphasized they did not intend to ban bird feeders and that their concern was feeders and food left in manners that attract larger or nuisance wildlife (ground troughs, large quantities of peanuts, etc.). Council member Cook, who brought the matter forward, said the council’s prior commitment was to study the issue and bring back an ordinance; she asked that any ordinance be framed to include an educational outreach approach rather than criminal penalties.

Council also asked staff whether data exist on call volumes; Wallace said the city does not centrally quantify all wildlife-feeding calls but that much related work is routed through the county (wildlife and animal services) and that zoning staff has limited data on related complaints. Staff recommended targeted outreach if the council moves forward and asked whether council would like public notification prior to introducing an ordinance; council directed staff to provide notice as part of the next steps.

Council instructed staff to draft ordinance language and return with a staff report at a future work session; council members emphasized education-first enforcement while acknowledging the need for an enforceable code if the problem persists in neighborhoods.