It is not illegal to kill a coyote in California, provided you hold a valid hunting license and follow the state’s rules on methods, ammunition, and location. Coyotes are classified as nongame mammals with no closed season and no bag limit, which makes them one of the least restricted animals to hunt in the state. Break any of the rules on how, where, or with what you take one, though, and a lawful act becomes a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 in fines and jail time.
Why Coyotes Can Be Killed Year-Round
Under Title 14, Section 472 of the California Code of Regulations, coyotes are nongame mammals that “may be taken at any time of the year and in any number.”1Cornell Law School. Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 14, 472 – General Provisions There is no coyote season, no tag, and no depredation permit requirement. That sets coyotes apart from deer and elk, which have defined seasons and harvest limits, and from furbearers like foxes and bobcats, which carry trapping seasons and reporting rules of their own.
Nongame does not mean unregulated. Fish and Game Code Section 2000 makes it unlawful to take any mammal except as the code allows,2Justia. California Code – Fish and Game Code 2000-2020 and every general hunting rule still applies. You need a valid California hunting license, even to shoot a coyote on your own property. FGC Section 3031 requires a license for the privilege of taking birds and mammals,3Justia. California Fish and Game Code 3031-3039 – Hunting Licenses and there is no landowner carve-out that lets you skip the license for coyotes.
For the 2025–2026 license year, resident annual licenses cost $62.90 and nonresident licenses cost $219.81. Junior licenses for hunters under 16 are $16.46, and disabled veterans with a 50% or greater service-connected disability and honorable discharge can obtain a reduced-fee license for $9.79 at CDFW offices.4CA.gov. 2025/2026 Hunting Items Fees5State of California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hunting License Items and Fees First-time hunters must complete a state-approved hunter education course of at least 10 hours plus a final exam. You can skip the course if you already hold a California hunting license from any prior year or a current license from another state or province issued within the previous two years.6State of California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hunting Licenses – Hunter Education Requirements
What You Can and Cannot Use
Several of the most common ways people picture dealing with a coyote are flatly illegal. The tools and methods matter as much as the license.
Non-Lead Ammunition
Since July 1, 2019, all hunting in California requires non-lead ammunition when using a firearm, and that applies to nongame mammals including coyotes. The rule comes from Assembly Bill 711, codified at FGC Section 3004.5 and implemented through Title 14, Section 250.1.7State of California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Nonlead Ammunition in California Using lead ammunition to shoot a coyote is a citable offense even though the coyote itself has minimal legal protection. Copper-jacketed and solid copper bullets are widely available substitutes.
No Poison
Poison cannot be used to take any nongame bird or nongame mammal. Title 14, Section 475(a) says so directly and cross-references FGC Section 3003.1.8New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 475 – Methods of Take for Nongame Birds and Nongame Mammals The reason: poisoned carcasses also kill raptors, pets, and other animals that scavenge them.
Trap Restrictions
FGC Section 4004 makes it unlawful to use a steel-jawed leghold trap or any trap with saw-toothed or spiked jaws. Traps used for nongame mammals must comply with Section 465.5 and carry an identifying number or mark.9Justia. California Fish and Game Code 4000-4012 – Trapping Provisions The rules on trap types, check intervals, and placement are detailed, so read the current trapping regulations before setting anything.
Archery
Bows and crossbows are legal. Any arrow or crossbow bolt may be used for nongame mammals except those with explosive or poisoned tips. The minimum draw weight is 30 pounds for a bow and 125 pounds for a crossbow.10New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Section 354 – Archery Equipment and Crossbow Regulations Many cities restrict archery discharge alongside firearm discharge, so a bow doesn’t automatically get you around the location problem below.
Night Hunting With Lights
Artificial lights for hunting coyotes are regulated. In most of the state, a spotlight may be used from a vehicle only if the vehicle is stopped with the motor off, and the vehicle cannot be on a public road. No spotlight may be used during an open general deer season in that area. A landowner or tenant suffering livestock or property damage may authorize others in writing to use lights exceeding 9 volts to take offending coyotes, but must notify the nearest CDFW office when animals are taken under that authority.11California Fish and Game Commission. Mammal Hunting Regulations – General Provisions and Definitions
Where You Can Legally Hunt Coyotes
Location trips up more people than any other part of coyote law, because the most common human-coyote conflicts happen in exactly the places hunting is banned.
The 150-Yard Safety Zone
Under FGC Section 3004(a), it is unlawful to hunt or discharge a firearm within 150 yards of an occupied dwelling, residence, or associated outbuilding unless you are the owner, the person in possession, or someone with the owner’s express permission.12California Outdoors Q&A. California Outdoors Q&As – Can I Shoot a Coyote With a Compound Bow This is a statewide floor, and counties can impose stricter distances. San Diego County applies the 150-yard threshold to recreational areas and roads as well.13San Diego County. Ordinance No. 10122 Amending Code Sections 33.101 and 41.117
City Discharge Bans
Most California cities prohibit discharging firearms within city limits except at approved ranges or by law enforcement. Many extend the ban to archery equipment and pellet rifles.12California Outdoors Q&A. California Outdoors Q&As – Can I Shoot a Coyote With a Compound Bow If you live in an incorporated city and a coyote is in your yard, you almost certainly cannot shoot it, regardless of the weapon. Check your municipal code before assuming any method is legal.
State Parks and Federal Lands
Title 14, Section 4313 prohibits carrying or discharging any weapon, firearm, bow, trap, or net in state park units, with narrow exceptions for underwater parks and designated archery ranges. Unloaded firearms can be transported through a park if cased or rendered inoperable, but hunting inside park boundaries is off limits.14Cornell Law School. Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 14, 4313 – Weapons and Traps National forests generally allow hunting under U.S. Forest Service rules, though individual forests may close specific areas. BLM lands typically permit hunting but may restrict it in conservation zones. Military installations and national wildlife refuges usually prohibit hunting entirely. Check the managing agency’s regulations for the specific parcel.
If a Coyote Is Threatening Your Pets or Livestock
This is where most people’s real question sits. A coyote is going after your chickens, your dog, or your cat. What can you legally do?
California does not require a depredation permit to kill a problem coyote, which is unusual for a predator species. You still need a hunting license and a legal method of take, but you don’t have to apply for special authorization or prove prior damage.1Cornell Law School. Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 14, 472 – General Provisions Compare that with mountain lions, which require a depredation permit and CDFW confirmation of damage before any lethal action.
A landowner or tenant whose livestock is being damaged can also authorize others in writing to use artificial lights at night to take the offending animals, with notification to the nearest CDFW office afterward.11California Fish and Game Commission. Mammal Hunting Regulations – General Provisions and Definitions
The practical catch is that most pet-versus-coyote encounters happen in suburban neighborhoods where firearm and archery discharge is illegal and where the 150-yard rule around dwellings blocks a shot in almost any direction. Within city limits, lawful lethal options are extremely limited regardless of the threat. Hazing, securing attractants, and installing coyote-proof fencing are often the only legal responses. Some cities have gone further and adopted formal coyote management policies that require exhausting non-lethal deterrents before any lethal action, with local fines or misdemeanor charges for violations that are separate from state law.
Watch for Wolves
Gray wolves have been reestablishing in northern California, and they look enough like coyotes to create a real identification risk. Shooting a wolf while hunting coyotes would be legally catastrophic. Gray wolves are federally listed as endangered and protected under the Endangered Species Act in California, with penalties of up to $100,000 in fines and one year of imprisonment.15California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Information on Gray Wolf in California
Adult wolves typically weigh 70 to 150 pounds compared with 15 to 50 pounds for coyotes, with a shoulder height around 2½ feet versus 1½ feet. Wolves have broad, blocky muzzles and short, rounded ears; coyotes have narrow, pointed faces and tall, pointed ears.16California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Distinguishing Between Coyotes, Wolves, and Dogs The trap for misidentification is wolf pups in mid-summer and fall, which can closely resemble coyotes in size and appearance. In areas where wolves have been documented, pass on any animal you can’t positively identify.
Penalties for Getting It Wrong
Violating California’s hunting regulations when taking a coyote is a misdemeanor. Under FGC Section 12002, the standard penalty for a Fish and Game Code misdemeanor is a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both.17California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code 12002 Certain specified violations carry higher penalties of up to $2,000 and one year in jail.
The specific charge depends on what went wrong. Hunting without a license, using lead ammunition, or taking a coyote in a prohibited area fall under different code sections but share the same general penalty framework. If the method involved cruelty or caused unnecessary suffering, Penal Code Section 597 can apply as well; the state’s animal cruelty statute covers all animals regardless of game classification.18Justia. CALCRIM No. 2953 – Cruelty to Animals (Pen. Code, 597(a)) Hunting on private property without permission also exposes you to trespassing charges under Penal Code Section 602, separate from any Fish and Game violation.19Judicial Council of California Criminal Jury Instructions. CALCRIM No. 2931 – Trespass – Unlawfully Occupying Property (Pen. Code, 602(m)) And a stray bullet or errant arrow that damages property or injures a person or animal carries civil liability regardless of whether your license was valid.