Yes, bobcats are protected in California. State law bans hunting, trapping, and taking a bobcat in almost every circumstance, and it bans selling or exporting any bobcat or bobcat part taken in the state. The only lawful ways to kill or possess one are through a depredation permit for property damage or a scientific collecting permit for research and education. Bobcats are not listed as endangered or threatened, but California has chosen to give them stronger protections than federal law requires.
What California Law Actually Bans
The core rule is Fish and Game Code Section 4156, added by AB 1254 and signed into law on October 12, 2019. It prohibits any person from hunting, trapping, or otherwise taking a bobcat.1California Legislative Information. AB 1254 Bobcats Take Prohibition Hunting Season Management Plan Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations reinforces the ban by making it unlawful to trap any bobcat or to sell or export any bobcat or bobcat part taken in the state.2New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 14 California Code of Regulations 478 – Bobcat
An earlier law, AB 1213, took effect in 2014 and banned bobcat trapping near Joshua Tree National Park, national and state parks, monuments, and wildlife refuges. It also made it illegal to trap bobcats on someone else’s private land without written permission from the owner.3California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code FGC 4155 AB 1254 then closed the remaining gaps.
You Cannot Shoot a Bobcat on Your Own Property
This is where people get caught out. California’s general self-help provision, which lets landowners take nongame mammals injuring crops or property, does not apply to bobcats. Section 4152(c) says so directly. A bobcat killing chickens or stalking pets on your land is still legally protected, and taking matters into your own hands is a Fish and Game Code violation. If you have an active problem, the lawful route is a depredation permit.
Depredation Permits for Property Damage
Under Fish and Game Code Section 4181, an owner or tenant of land being damaged, or in immediate danger of damage, can apply to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for a revocable permit to kill the animal causing the problem.4California Legislative Information. California Code Fish and Game Code FGC 4181 The department only issues a permit after receiving satisfactory evidence of actual or immediately threatened damage.
The permit documents why it was needed, what non-lethal steps were tried first, and what corrective measures will prevent the problem from recurring. Metal-jawed traps of any kind are prohibited for taking bobcats under a depredation permit. Any bobcat killed under the permit cannot be sold or removed from the property except under CDFW instructions, and violating the permit’s conditions is itself a crime.4California Legislative Information. California Code Fish and Game Code FGC 4181
How to Report a Bobcat Problem
CDFW runs an online Wildlife Incident Reporting System for property owners to report conflicts, property damage, or livestock losses caused by wildlife. Reports are automatically routed to a CDFW authorized investigator based on the incident’s location.5California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Wildlife Incident Reporting System Document dates, locations, and the nature of the damage. The stronger the evidence, the faster the process moves.
Scientific and Educational Exceptions
Researchers and educational institutions can legally possess bobcat specimens under a Scientific Collecting Permit issued by CDFW. Fish and Game Code Sections 1002, 1002.5, and 1003 authorize these permits for scientific, educational, and propagation purposes, and Section 4155’s trapping restrictions carve out an exception for permit holders acting within their permit conditions.6California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Scientific Collecting Permits Permit holders must submit wildlife reports and chain-of-custody documentation when transferring specimens.
Penalties for Violations
A violation of the Fish and Game Code is a misdemeanor unless the code says otherwise.7California Legislative Information. California Fish and Game Code FGC 12000 A misdemeanor can carry up to one year in county jail, a fine, or both. Anyone convicted of violating bobcat regulations forfeits their hunting tags and cannot obtain new ones for the remainder of the license year.8New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 14 California Code of Regulations 478.1 Bobcat Hunting Tags
CDFW can also suspend or permanently revoke hunting and sport fishing license privileges after a conviction.9California Legislative Information. California Code Fish and Game Code FGC 12154 Revocation is discretionary, but the department does pursue it in serious cases. For anyone who hunts other game, this is where a bobcat conviction gets expensive.
Federal Layer: CITES and Livestock Programs
Bobcats are listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Exporting any bobcat part from the United States requires an export permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, granted only when the export won’t harm the species’ survival and the specimen was legally acquired.10U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. CITES Permits and Certificates Because California bans the sale or export of bobcat parts taken in the state, obtaining a California specimen for international trade is effectively impossible.
Two federal programs help livestock owners. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service runs a Wildlife Services program that provides direct assistance for livestock predation problems, including research and guidance on non-lethal protection methods.11USDA-APHIS. Wildlife Services That documentation is exactly what supports a depredation permit application. The USDA Farm Service Agency also runs the Livestock Indemnity Program, which compensates owners for losses exceeding normal mortality when the losses come from attacks by federally protected or federally reintroduced animals.12Farm Service Agency. Livestock Indemnity Program LIP Whether bobcat losses qualify depends on the program’s specific eligibility criteria, so contact your local FSA office before assuming coverage applies.