Pigeon Feeding Rules and the Law in Las Vegas

Clark County

Clark County Code 10.36.035, adopted as Ordinance 4539 on November 7, 2017, declares that the roosting or lingering of wild pigeons poses a health and property hazard and is a public nuisance. It makes it unlawful to encourage the lingering, roosting or congregating of wild pigeons by providing food, and it lists grain, seeds, greens, bread crumbs and food scraps, on public or residential property. Local news reporting on the vote put the penalty at up to $1,000 and six months in jail. The county code covers the unincorporated parts of the valley, which include Spring Valley, Enterprise, Paradise, Sunrise Manor and Summerlin South.

City of Las Vegas

The City Council voted in October 2018 to ban feeding wild pigeons citywide, with a penalty reported at up to $1,000 and six months in jail. The rule sits in Las Vegas Municipal Code Chapter 7.38, Wild and Farm Animals. A separate 2020 rule bans feeding any wildlife, including birds, in city parks and public plazas. The city covers downtown, the northwest including Centennial Hills, and Summerlin north of Charleston.

Henderson

Henderson Municipal Code 7.08.040, Ordinance 3229 of November 4, 2014, uses the same language as the county: roosting or lingering pigeons are a public nuisance, and providing food for them on public or residential property is unlawful. Henderson does not remove pigeons. A November 2024 news report on a Henderson home with a large flock recorded seven neighbor complaints and the city's position that property owners hire private pest control.

North Las Vegas

North Las Vegas adopted a stricter animal care ordinance in 2020 that bans feeding wild pigeons, with a penalty reported at up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. The ordinance number is not cited here because it could not be confirmed from the city's published code at the time of writing.

Who to call, and what they will not do

Feeding complaints in unincorporated Clark County go to Animal Protection Services dispatch at 702-455-7710. The county's own FAQ states plainly that Animal Protection Services does not remove or eradicate pigeons; residents are told to contact a pest control company or ask the Nevada Department of Agriculture for a list. Henderson takes the same position. In practice, pigeons on a roof are the property owner's problem to solve.

Why pigeons can be removed

Native birds and their nests are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which is why a swallow nest under an eave cannot be touched. Feral pigeons are not native. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2020 list of species the Act does not apply to includes the Rock Pigeon, Columba livia, as a nonnative, human-introduced species. Nevada lists the Rock Pigeon as an unprotected bird in NAC 503.055, alongside the house sparrow, the European starling and the Eurasian collared dove. That is the legal basis for removing pigeon nests, trapping pigeons and excluding them from a roof.

Trapping rules

In September 2024 Clark County was drafting a code amendment to require humane pigeon trapping: traps with adequate shade, food and water, and prompt, humane handling of trapped birds, after animal control calls about traps left in the heat. Whether that amendment was adopted could not be confirmed at the time of writing. Whatever the code says, the practical question for a homeowner is the same: ask the provider how often traps are checked, especially in summer, and what happens to the birds.