Is It Illegal to Feed Deer in Colorado? Laws, Fines, and What You Need to Know
June 1, 2026
Spotting a deer in your Colorado backyard can feel like a gift, and the impulse to toss out some corn or hay is completely understandable — especially on a cold winter morning. But that well-meaning gesture can carry real legal consequences and cause genuine harm to the animal you are trying to help.
Colorado has maintained a firm statewide prohibition on intentionally feeding deer and other big-game animals for more than three decades, and local municipalities have added their own layers of enforcement in many communities. Understanding where the law stands, what it covers, and why wildlife managers take it so seriously can help you appreciate Colorado’s deer from a safe and legal distance.
Key Insight: Colorado’s ban on feeding deer is not a recent trend or a local quirk — it is a statewide law that has been on the books since 1992 and is actively enforced by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers.
Is It Illegal to Feed Deer in Colorado
Under Colorado law, intentionally feeding deer, elk, pronghorn, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, and bears is illegal. This prohibition covers all of Colorado’s recognized big-game species and applies whether you live in a rural mountain community or a suburban neighborhood on the Front Range.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), a Colorado law passed in 1992 makes it illegal to feed big-game animals. That means the ban has been in effect for well over three decades, and it is not a gray area. Feeding deer is illegal in Colorado, and wildlife officers will give out citations.
It is illegal in Colorado to intentionally place or distribute feed, salt blocks, or other attractants for big-game animals. This means it is not just about handing food directly to a deer — setting out any material that draws deer to a specific location also falls under the prohibition. You can learn more about the types of deer found in North America that are subject to these kinds of wildlife protection laws.
Important Note: The law targets intentional feeding. However, CPW officers also monitor situations where negligence — such as leaving accessible food sources out — contributes to deer congregation, even if the intent was not to feed deer specifically.
Where and When Deer Feeding Is Restricted in Colorado
The feeding prohibition applies statewide, meaning there is no county, region, or season in Colorado where feeding deer is legally permitted for the general public. The restriction holds year-round, from summer through the winter months when deer are most visible in residential areas.
Under Colorado law, feeding big-game animals is illegal because it risks wildlife health and safety. Many cities have also implemented additional feeding restrictions for squirrels and rabbits. So depending on where you live in Colorado, you may be subject to both state-level and municipal-level rules simultaneously.
Colorado Springs is one notable example of a city that layered its own ordinance on top of state law. Leaving out hay, grain, minerals, salt, or other foods for wild animals to eat is prohibited under the city’s ordinance. The law does not apply to bird feeders, landscape elements, or persons running an animal shelter, education center, or rescue. Violators in Colorado Springs receive a warning for a first offense and can be cited for a $500 fine thereafter.
Bird feeders are generally allowed but may need to be removed if they attract black bears, coyotes, or foxes. In addition to state laws and regulations, some cities have local laws that prohibit feeding Colorado wildlife. If you enjoy feeding songbirds, CPW advises that bird feeders should not be placed outside from March through the end of November for any reason, because bird feeders are very likely to become bear feeders, and full bird feeders quickly teach bears that it is safe to come close to people and homes looking for food. You might find our guide to different types of bird feeders helpful for choosing designs that minimize attracting unwanted wildlife.
There is one narrow exception to the statewide ban: CPW itself. In cases of extremely harsh winters, CPW is prepared to provide supplementary, wildlife-formulated feed to big-game ungulates such as deer, elk, moose, and pronghorn, though these cases are exceptionally rare. In rare circumstances, CPW may also use “baiting,” using feed to lure animals away from developed areas. These are agency-managed interventions, not a pathway open to private citizens.
What You Can and Cannot Feed Deer in Colorado
The short answer is that you cannot feed deer anything in Colorado. The law does not create a list of approved foods — it prohibits the act of intentional feeding itself. That said, understanding why certain foods are especially dangerous helps explain the reasoning behind the blanket prohibition.
Deer and elk eat wild grasses, forbs, and shrubs, and have specialized stomachs for getting nutrients out of these tough-to-digest foods. When they eat corn, bird seed, apples, grain, or other high-carbohydrate foods, their stomachs produce too much acid, causing a disease known as acidosis. The acid burns the stomach lining, letting bacteria into the blood and causing diarrhea, dehydration, brain damage, and hoof problems known as laminitis.
Many animals die quickly from the acid’s immediate effects; others may live longer but eventually die from liver or brain damage. Even foods that seem natural or harmless — like apples from a backyard tree — can trigger this chain reaction in a deer’s digestive system.
- Corn — High in starch and sugar; a leading cause of acidosis in deer
- Grain and bread — Similar high-carbohydrate profile that disrupts rumen function
- Apples and fruit — Ferment rapidly in the stomach; can cause dangerous bloating
- Hay and alfalfa — In some cases, deer given alfalfa hay have died from bloating when the alfalfa created froth in the stomach.
- Salt and mineral blocks — Salt and mineral blocks, corn, grain, and pumpkins all facilitate disease transmission among congregating animals
- Commercial wildlife attractants — Although commercial feeds are available at many stores, CPW biologists warn against using them. Some of these products may indicate they will attract certain wildlife species, including deer. People should be aware that if they place feed out and deer consume it, they may be breaking the law.
There is no food item you can legally offer to wild deer in Colorado. Even leaving fruit that has fallen from your own trees can create a problem. Those with fruit trees should pay extra attention to pick up any fruit that drops from their trees to avoid deer regularly gathering in their yards.
You can read more about what deer eat naturally and how different types of deer forage in the wild, which helps illustrate why human-provided food is so disruptive to their biology.
Deer Feeding and CWD Regulations in Colorado
Beyond the immediate health risks of the wrong foods, deer feeding intersects with one of the most serious wildlife disease threats in the American West: Chronic Wasting Disease, commonly known as CWD.
Chronic wasting disease is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk, and moose. The proteins that cause the disease — called prions — are found in the saliva, feces, and carcasses of infected animals, meaning the disease can spread by direct or indirect contact with an infected animal. CWD is not caused by a virus or bacteria, and so cannot be treated or prevented with vaccination.
The disease was first recognized in 1967 as a clinical wasting syndrome of unknown cause in captive mule deer in Colorado. Colorado has been dealing with CWD longer than almost any other state, and the connection between artificial feeding and disease spread is central to why the feeding ban exists and why CPW enforces it so seriously.
Since CWD is passed animal to animal, concentrations caused by supplemental feeding are believed to increase the spread of the disease. When deer crowd around a feeding station, the conditions for prion transmission become ideal — animals share the same ground, breathe the same air, and come into direct contact far more often than they would in the wild. You can explore the natural predators of deer to better understand how population dynamics work in a healthy, unmanipulated ecosystem.
CPW District Wildlife Manager Casey Westbrook explains that “the artificial congregation of animals leads to an increased risk of disease within a deer herd.” He adds that most diseases in wildlife are density dependent, meaning the risk increases when deer are eating and drinking in very close proximity, and that the prevalence of chronic wasting disease has been shown to be much higher in herds where animals have been fed by humans.
Pro Tip: If you harvest a deer in Colorado and want to know its CWD status, voluntary testing is available. As of the 2026 hunting seasons, hunters may voluntarily submit their animal for testing for a fee of $25 per animal, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Big-game baiting is illegal, and feeding of certain wildlife species, including big game, is illegal under Colorado’s CWD-related regulations. CPW’s Colorado Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan is a 15-year rotating monitoring program designed to track CWD prevalence across the state’s deer and elk populations. Salt and mineral blocks, corn, grain, and pumpkins all facilitate disease transmission. These diseases take time to incubate; an animal that got sick at an artificial feeding spot may move far away before it starts to show symptoms.
If you are interested in how deer populations are managed across different regions, our overview of types of deer in the US provides useful context on the species involved and the pressures they face.
Penalties for Illegally Feeding Deer in Colorado
Colorado’s penalties for illegally feeding deer operate at two levels: the statewide fine established under CPW regulations, and any additional fines that individual municipalities may impose on top of the state penalty.
At the state level, under Colorado law, intentionally feeding big-game wild animals is illegal. The law applies to deer, elk, pronghorn, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, and bears. Violators face a $100 fine. This is the baseline penalty that applies anywhere in Colorado regardless of local ordinances.
In cities with their own wildlife feeding ordinances, the fines can be substantially higher. Colorado Springs, for example, passed a municipal ordinance that carries a warning on the first offense and a $500 fine for subsequent violations. That is five times the state-level penalty, and it reflects how seriously some communities take the issue given the density of urban deer populations.
Enforcement follows a tiered approach in most cases. In many cases, officers prefer to first warn and educate residents, so many citations would reflect outright negligence. However, documented repeat offenses or clear intentional feeding are treated more harshly. Officers will also occasionally give out more than one ticket in the worst cases, as someone scattering grain on their front lawn would also, in theory, be feeding other wildlife such as bears.
Since 2019, officers have given out 30 citations total in the Denver area region and the Park and Clear Creek regions for feeding deer. That number may seem modest, but wildlife officers acknowledge it reflects only those caught in the act. Frustrated neighbors should take photos and videos, with documentation described as “key” to a citation being written.
If you want to report illegal deer feeding in your area, you can contact CPW Denver Headquarters or your local CPW district office. CPW asks anyone to report incidents of humans feeding wildlife to their local CPW office, noting that “we need people to hold each other accountable” and urging residents to “call your local office and report those who are breaking this law.”
Understanding Colorado’s deer hunting regulations is a related area where legal compliance matters just as much — our guide to deer hunting season in Colorado covers what hunters need to know about legal interactions with deer in the state.
Why Feeding Deer Is Discouraged Even Where It’s Legal in Colorado
Even setting the legal question aside entirely, wildlife biologists and CPW managers are unified in their view that feeding deer is harmful — not helpful — to the animals themselves. The law reflects decades of field experience and research showing that human-provided food disrupts deer in ways that are difficult to reverse.
The normal feeding behavior allows big-game animals to spread out as they graze or browse. Artificial feeding disrupts that behavior. It prompts deer, for example, to crowd together in small areas where they are more likely to be chased by dogs and hit by cars. This crowding effect is one of the most consistent and well-documented consequences of supplemental feeding.
Deer that are fed lose their fear of humans and can become demanding and dangerous. A deer that associates people with food may approach strangers, behave aggressively during rut, or wander into traffic. Deer make up about 90% of a mountain lion’s diet. If you attract deer to your property, you will attract other animals as well, including predators that pose genuine risks to pets and children.
Common Mistake: Many residents believe that feeding deer in winter is an act of compassion that saves animals from starvation. In reality, deer are physiologically adapted to reduced food intake during winter, and sudden access to high-carbohydrate foods during this period is one of the most dangerous situations for their digestive health.
There is also an ecological cost that extends beyond individual animals. Luring wildlife to your yard by putting out food could set wild animals up for death if they have to cross highways to get to feeders or if they encounter harassment from domestic pets. Once wildlife stop using their historic ranges, that land could end up being developed, which means the animals lose valuable habitat forever.
From a herd genetics perspective, the consequences are also counterproductive. In a natural system, the most adapted animals will survive and improve the genetics of the herd. In a system with supplemental feeding, the strongest animals will win access to the provided food, and in many cases the animals that die in these feeding situations are the biggest and strongest of the herd.
Many people want to help wildlife by providing food, but unfortunately this practice causes many wildlife deaths each year in Colorado. The most meaningful thing you can do for deer in your area is to let them live as wild animals — foraging naturally, moving freely, and maintaining their instinctive wariness of humans. If you are curious about deer behavior and ecology, exploring predators of white-tailed deer or learning about deer species in neighboring states can give you a richer appreciation of these animals without putting them at risk.
If you ever find a deer that appears sick or injured, do not attempt to feed or handle it. Leave it alone and call your local Colorado Parks and Wildlife office to talk to a trained wildlife officer for guidance. That is the most helpful thing you can do — and it keeps both you and the animal on the right side of the law.