Connecticut’s Bird Feeding Laws Explained: What Backyard Birders Need to Know

You might think tossing seed into your backyard feeder is a purely personal choice, free of red tape. In Connecticut, that assumption can get you a written warning or a fine, especially if your feeder happens to sit in bear country. Feeding wild birds laws in Connecticut blend state statutes, a 2023 bear-conflict law, and a patchwork of local ordinances that vary from town to town.

This guide walks through what state law actually says about backyard bird feeding, when and where you can legally feed songbirds versus waterfowl, and how bear-related restrictions have reshaped feeder rules across the state. You’ll also see how municipal and HOA rules can override what you’d otherwise assume is allowed.

Is It Legal to Feed Wild Birds in Connecticut

Feeding songbirds in your own backyard is legal in Connecticut, and there’s no statewide statute that bans a standard bird feeder outright. Connecticut’s wild bird protections, found in Connecticut General Statutes Section 26-92, focus on preventing people from catching, killing, or possessing wild birds, not on prohibiting people from feeding them.

Where things get complicated is Connecticut’s newer wildlife-feeding law. Under Connecticut General Statutes Section 26-25a, it’s illegal to intentionally feed a “potentially dangerous animal,” a category that includes the felidae, such as bobcat, the canidae, such as coyote and fox, and the ursidae, such as black bear. Birds themselves aren’t on that list, but a feeder that draws in bears or coyotes can still put you on the wrong side of the law depending on intent and location.

Many towns have gone further than the state. East Granby, for example, adopted an ordinance stating that bird feeders may be used from December 1 through March 31, with an exception for seed types bears don’t want. If you live in a municipality with its own wildlife-feeding ordinance, that local rule generally applies alongside, and sometimes more strictly than, the state statute. For background on how Connecticut treats problem wildlife more broadly, see this overview of wildlife removal laws in Connecticut.

Bird Feeder Placement and Height Rules in Connecticut

Connecticut doesn’t set a statewide height requirement for bird feeders, but some municipalities do, and Stratford is the clearest example. Its wildlife-feeding ordinance requires that bird feeders must be at least five feet above the ground, and it also prohibits feeding practices that attract rodents like squirrels.

This kind of height rule isn’t unique to Connecticut. Municipal ordinances around the country commonly draw a distinction between elevated feeders built for songbirds and ground-level feeding. As one legal analysis notes, elevated, enclosed bird feeders designed for songbirds are commonly exempted from stricter feeding bans, while scattering seed or bread on the ground typically is not. If you keep feeders for species like the striking green-plumed visitors covered in this guide to green birds in Connecticut, mounting them well above ground level and away from fence lines reduces both rodent complaints and bear interest.

Pro Tip: Even where no height ordinance exists, DEEP and most local police departments treat feeders under five feet, or feeders with spilled seed piling up underneath, as the most common trigger for nuisance wildlife complaints.

Feeding Waterfowl: Ducks, Geese, and Special Restrictions in Connecticut

Tossing bread to ducks at a local pond isn’t explicitly banned under Connecticut state law, but waterfowl carry their own set of legal wrinkles that backyard songbirds don’t. The Canada goose (Branta canadensis) is the species most likely to trigger a feeding restriction, because large resident flocks create fecal buildup, aggressive behavior toward visitors, and property damage around ponds and lawns.

Connecticut law allows municipalities, homeowner associations, and approved nonprofit land-holding organizations to submit a DEEP-approved management plan for resident Canada geese, and that plan must include prohibitions against feeding the geese in question as part of the approved strategy. If your HOA or town has one of these plans in place, feeding the geese it targets becomes a violation of that specific plan rather than a general state ban.

Separately, Connecticut sets penalties for violations tied to migratory game birds more broadly. Under state statute, any person who violates the migratory game bird provisions shall be fined not more than two hundred fifty dollars, and the law treats possession of each bird as a separate offense. These provisions mostly target hunting and taking rather than casual feeding, but they illustrate how seriously Connecticut treats waterfowl regulation compared to songbirds. If you’re curious how game bird rules intersect with hunting seasons, this guide to hunting laws in Connecticut covers the broader framework.

Bear-Attractant Laws That Affect Bird Feeders in Connecticut

This is the section that has changed backyard birding in Connecticut more than any other single law. In 2023, the Connecticut General Assembly passed, and the governor signed into law, Public Act 23-77, aimed at reducing conflicts tied to the state’s growing black bear (Ursus americanus) population. The law went into effect on October 1, 2023, and DEEP has been enforcing it since that date.

Public Act 23-77 defines “intentionally feed” broadly. It covers any act to place, provide, give, expose, deposit, scatter or distribute any edible material or attractant with the intent of feeding, attracting, or enticing a potentially dangerous animal, and it bans this activity on any land not owned by the state. A backyard bird feeder isn’t automatically illegal under this law, but once bears start visiting it regularly, continuing to fill it can cross into intentional feeding territory.

DEEP’s practical guidance is more specific than the statute’s language. The agency’s seasonal advisories tell residents to take down, clean, and put away bird feeders by mid-March, or even earlier during mild weather, once bears emerge from winter denning. DEEP has explained why this matters so much: just one bird feeder full of black oil sunflower seed can reward a bear with a day’s worth of calories for less than an hour’s work, which is exactly the kind of easy payoff that turns a wild bear into a repeat neighborhood visitor.

Important Note: Composting is not treated as intentional feeding under Public Act 23-77, as long as it’s properly secured. If an unsecured compost pile unintentionally draws wildlife, that alone doesn’t violate the law, though repeated bear visits are still worth addressing for safety reasons.

If bears show up in your neighborhood, DEEP’s recommendation is unambiguous: stop feeding birds immediately, not just during the traditional bear season. For a broader look at which species you might encounter feeding or foraging near a Connecticut backyard, see this rundown of wild animals that live in Connecticut.

HOA and Municipal Bird Feeding Restrictions in Connecticut

Because Public Act 23-77 applies statewide but leaves enforcement details to local governments, Connecticut towns have filled in the gaps with their own ordinances, and these vary more than you might expect. Some examples show just how different the local rules can be:

• East Granby limits standard bird feeder use to December 1 through March 31, with a year-round exception for seed types like Nyjer or thistle that bears typically ignore.
• Stratford requires feeders to sit at least five feet off the ground and bans feeding that attracts rodents, regardless of season.
• Simsbury also maintains its own ordinance restricting bird feeding during certain times of year, as DEEP itself notes when answering resident questions about the state law.

Homeowner associations can add another layer on top of municipal rules. An HOA’s governing documents may restrict feeder types, placement, or seasonal use even where the town itself has no ordinance, and HOA covenants are typically enforceable as private contracts separate from state or local law. If you’re weighing backyard bird feeding against other regulated animal-keeping activities, it’s worth comparing these rules to Connecticut’s backyard chicken laws, which follow a similarly localized pattern of permits and restrictions that shift from one town to the next.

Connecticut isn’t alone in pushing this kind of local patchwork. States managing their own nuisance wildlife issues, including New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Michigan, have all adopted similar town-by-town feeding restrictions rather than one uniform statewide rule.

Feeding Birds on Public Land or Parks in Connecticut

Feeding wildlife on state-owned property carries its own separate legal basis. Connecticut law gives DEEP’s commissioner authority to adopt regulations prohibiting or restricting the feeding of wildlife on state-owned property, which means a state park, forest, or wildlife management area can carry feeding restrictions that don’t apply to your own backyard.

Municipal parks fall under whatever local ordinance the town has adopted, so a park in East Granby or Stratford is generally subject to the same rules as private property within those towns. Before setting out food for ducks or songbirds at a local park, look for posted signage, since many municipalities post feeding restrictions directly at pond access points rather than relying solely on the general code.

Pro Tip: If you regularly walk a route through a state park or town green and enjoy watching birds along the way, check the specific park’s rules page or posted signs rather than assuming your town’s residential feeding ordinance automatically applies there.

Penalties for Violating Wildlife Feeding Laws in Connecticut

Penalties in Connecticut depend heavily on which law you’ve run afoul of, state or municipal, and they escalate quickly if violations repeat. At the state level, migratory game bird violations carry a fine of not more than two hundred fifty dollars, with each bird treated as a separate offense.

Municipal ordinances tend to follow a graduated warning-then-fine structure. East Granby’s ordinance authorizes a written warning for a first offense and then a fine in the amount of $100 for a second offense. Stratford takes a steeper escalation approach, with a $100 fine for the second offense, a $200 fine for the third offense and a $300 fine for all subsequent offenses, following an initial written warning.

The table below summarizes how these penalty structures compare:

Law or Ordinance	First Offense	Repeat Offense
State migratory bird statute (Sec. 26-91)	Fine up to $250	Fine up to $250 per bird/incident
East Granby wildlife feeding ordinance	Written warning	$100 fine (second offense)
Stratford wildlife feeding ordinance	Written warning	$100 / $200 / $300 (escalating)

Public Act 23-77 itself is enforced by DEEP, and confirmed as active enforcement since October 1, 2023, but specific fine schedules for the intentional bear-feeding provision are set through DEEP’s regulatory process rather than a single flat statutory number. Because that framework can shift as DEEP finalizes implementing regulations, your safest approach is checking your town’s specific ordinance and DEEP’s current bear law FAQ page before assuming a fixed penalty amount applies to your situation.

Bottom line: feeding backyard birds in Connecticut remains a legal, welcomed hobby for most of the year, but where you live, what species show up, and how close bears have been reported nearby all shape which rules actually apply to you. Checking your specific municipal code, alongside DEEP’s statewide bear guidance, is the only reliable way to know you’re in compliance.