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Teton County staff proposes updates to bear attractant rules and a new nuisance ordinance
Summary
Staff presented edits to the county’s bear ordinance (adding grills as attractants, clarifying the Bear Conflict Zone map, lengthening compliance windows) and a draft nuisance ordinance that would restore enforcement authority, create an abatement fund and add civil penalties. Commissioners asked for public input before formal hearings.
Teton County commissioners on Nov. 10 reviewed proposed changes to the county’s bear ordinance and a separate draft nuisance ordinance that would restore and expand enforcement tools.
Staff said the bear ordinance revisions are largely wording and scope updates: adding barbecue grills to the list of attractants, clarifying the county’s Bear Conflict Zone map text and lengthening required turnaround times from seven to 14 days in some sections to account for second‑home owners and seasonal residents. Staff also said the county plans more public education and would work with BearWise and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition on outreach.
The nuisance ordinance draft would reactivate a chapter suspended in 2001. It defines enforcement steps, creates civil and criminal penalties and establishes an abatement fund that could be used to clean up properties; the fund would not be seeded with county money immediately, staff said. The draft also proposes an annual noncompliance fee (county examples include a $500 administrative fee) and an appeal path for owners. Staff noted state statute excludes agricultural operations from some enforcement measures (Idaho Code Title 22 was cited during the discussion).
Commissioners and staff spent more time on implementation than on policy: how complaints would be handled, whether enforcement would remain complaint‑driven, and whether the sheriff’s office would assist with ticketing. Several commissioners asked staff to confirm that legal had reviewed draft language; staff said legal review is pending and that the board would take any public comment collected during the formal notice process into account.
Unidentified Speaker 14, who led the presentation, told commissioners that three juvenile black bears had recently been euthanized in the valley and said attractants were a causal factor; the board discussed stronger neighborhood reporting and education to reduce conflicts.
Next steps: staff will finalize draft language, circulate it for legal review and publish it for formal public comment before commissioners consider adoption. The board did not take a vote on the ordinance at the Nov. 10 meeting.
