Yes, in most of the United States it is illegal to feed raccoons, though the exact rule depends on where the feeding happens. On any National Park Service land the prohibition is absolute. Many states and a growing number of cities and counties ban the practice outright, and places without a raccoon-specific law usually cover raccoons under broader wildlife-feeding or public-nuisance rules. Penalties start at small civil fines and climb into misdemeanor territory, with jail time possible on federal land.
Feeding Raccoons on Federal Land
The clearest nationwide prohibition comes from the National Park Service. Federal regulation makes it illegal to feed, touch, tease, or intentionally disturb wildlife on all National Park Service land, regardless of species.1eCFR. 36 CFR 2.2 — Wildlife Protection That includes raccoons at campgrounds, picnic areas, trailheads, and anywhere else inside park boundaries. The rule applies across all areas under federal legislative jurisdiction.
A conviction for violating the rule carries up to six months in jail, a fine, or both.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1865 – National Park Service Park rangers handle enforcement, and repeat offenses can lead to criminal charges.
State and Local Laws
Off federal land, the picture gets messy. Some states broadly prohibit feeding categories of wildlife that include raccoons, using terms like “nongame wildlife,” “nuisance wildlife,” or “mammalian predators.” Others take a species-by-species approach, naming bears and deer in statute while leaving raccoons to be handled by local ordinance or general nuisance law. A few states have no statewide feeding ban at all.
Local governments often fill those gaps. Cities and counties across the country have passed ordinances declaring the intentional feeding of wildlife a public nuisance within their limits. These local rules tend to be more specific than state law, dealing with concerns like property damage, noise, and concentrated disease risk in denser neighborhoods. Homeowners’ associations may also prohibit wildlife feeding in their governing documents, enforceable through community fines.
Because rules vary so widely, checking your own city or county code is the only reliable way to know what applies at your address. Your local animal control office or state wildlife agency can usually point you to the governing ordinance.
What Counts as Feeding
Most wildlife-feeding laws reach further than handing food to an animal. The typical definition covers any intentional act that provides food to wildlife or attracts wildlife using food. Leaving pet food on a porch, scattering birdseed where raccoons can reach it, and failing to secure garbage cans can all qualify.
The central concept is the “attractant”: any edible substance placed or left in a way that draws wild animals. Grain, bread, meat scraps, fruit, honey, and cooking grease all count. Storing refuse or pet food outdoors in an accessible container can trigger a violation if raccoons start using it as a food source. Some jurisdictions carve out exceptions for bird feeders and outdoor pet bowls, but those exceptions typically disappear once the feeder or bowl is shown to be attracting wildlife. At that point you will usually be ordered to remove it within 48 hours.
You do not have to be hand-feeding a raccoon to break the law. If your actions foreseeably attract them, that can be enough.
Penalties for Feeding Raccoons
What a violation costs depends on your jurisdiction and your history.
- Many municipalities and some states treat a first offense as a noncriminal infraction with a fine in the range of $100 to $200. You receive a citation, pay the fine, and avoid a criminal record.
- Repeat offenses commonly escalate to misdemeanor-level violations, with larger fines and the possibility of jail time. Some jurisdictions charge a first offense as a misdemeanor when the feeding created a documented public health risk or attracted aggressive animals.
- On National Park Service land, a violation can bring up to six months of imprisonment, a fine, or both.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1865 – National Park Service
Fines for repeat municipal offenders can climb into the hundreds of dollars, and some jurisdictions impose escalating penalties with each subsequent citation. Refusing to accept a citation or failing to appear in court on a wildlife-feeding charge can itself become a separate misdemeanor.
When Feeding a Raccoon Is Legal
Licensed wildlife rehabilitators are the main exception. Every state runs a permitting system that lets trained individuals house, feed, and treat injured or orphaned wildlife, including raccoons. Because raccoons are classified as a rabies vector species, the licensing requirements for rehabilitating them are stricter than for other wildlife. Rehabilitators working with raccoons generally need years of supervised experience, specialized training, pre-exposure rabies vaccinations, and inspected facilities before they can handle these animals.
If you find a sick or injured raccoon, the legal path is to contact a licensed rehabilitator or your state wildlife agency rather than feed or care for the animal yourself. Keeping a raccoon without a permit is also illegal in most states, separate from any feeding prohibition.
How to Avoid an Accidental Violation
Most people cited under wildlife-feeding laws are not deliberately feeding raccoons. They are leaving pet food outside, storing garbage in flimsy containers, or running bird feeders that double as raccoon buffets. A few practical steps eliminate most of the risk.
- Bring pet food indoors at dusk. Raccoons are nocturnal, and an outdoor bowl at night is an open invitation.
- Secure garbage in animal-resistant containers. Bungee cords or locking lids keep raccoons out of trash, one of the most common attractants cited in enforcement actions.
- Manage bird feeders. Clean up spilled seed regularly, and remove the feeder if raccoons start visiting. Many ordinances require removal within 48 hours once a feeder is identified as attracting wildlife.
- Seal entry points. Cap chimneys, repair soffit gaps, and close off crawl space openings before raccoons find them.
These habits keep you clear of the law and head off the property damage and removal costs that tend to follow once raccoons decide a home is a reliable food source.