Coyote-Proof Yard Checklist

This is general information, not veterinary, medical or legal advice. For an injured or aggressive animal, a bite, a pet attack or a suspected rabies exposure, call your doctor, your vet, local animal control, or the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).

Reviewed by the editorial desk against the cited sources. The desk holds no wildlife-biology, veterinary or medical credential.

Use this checklist with our main yard and home coyote management guide, which is the pillar for this topic. The checklist is the printable version: work down it once, then repeat after storms, harvest time and any change in your pets. Each item says where it comes from. The detailed pages are removing food and water attractants, coyote fencing for Arizona yards and protecting pets and children.

Why a yard checklist works

AZGFD says coyotes are naturally timid but become a risk to people once they become comfortable around humans, usually as a result of feeding or indifference. When that happens they lose their natural fear and learn to see humans, their yards and their pets as food sources and safe havens. AZGFD says residents should aggressively discourage coyotes from feeling comfortable by never intentionally feeding them, eliminating attractants (food sources, including pet food) from the yard, using aggressive gestures toward coyotes when they are seen, and encouraging neighbors to do the same.

The UC IPM Pest Notes make the same point for suburban areas: lush landscaping provides food, water and shelter for coyotes, and homeowners can reduce a property’s attractiveness by changing the landscape. This page follows both.

The checklist

Tick each item, or print the page.

Food

• Nobody in the household feeds coyotes or other wildlife. (AZGFD; also unlawful where ARS 13-2927 applies.)
• Pets are fed inside, or uneaten pet food is removed between feedings. (AZGFD; UC IPM adds to store pet food indoors or in sealed heavy-duty containers.)
• Garbage is stored inside or in wildlife-proof containers, with tight-fitting lids. (AZGFD; UC IPM.)
• Trash containers go out at the last possible time on pickup day. (AZGFD.)
• Ripe fruit is picked, and fallen fruit is cleaned up. (UC IPM says coyotes are attracted to ripening fruits and advises picking fruit before it falls; the UC Coyote Cacher page also says to harvest ripe and fallen fruit.)
• Compost is contained or fenced so coyotes cannot forage in it. (UC IPM.)
• Bird feeder spillage is managed, because it attracts rodents and rabbits that coyotes prey on. (UC IPM.)
• Feral cats are not fed outdoors. (UC Coyote Cacher says that food can attract coyotes.)

Water

• Remove or fence unneeded water sources. UC IPM says to eliminate available water sources for coyotes and other wildlife, for example by removing ponds or fountains or installing net wire fences around their perimeter.
• Check dripping hoses, pet water bowls left outside overnight and standing water in the yard. (Our reading of the UC IPM water guidance; the page names ponds and fountains, not these items.)

Cover and hiding places

• Prune lower limbs of shrubs and small trees to a height of 2 feet. (UC IPM.)
• Thin thick vegetation and remove brush and dense weeds. (UC IPM.)
• Trim back plants and bushes around the house to prevent hiding or resting places. (AZGFD.)
• Close off crawl spaces under porches, decks, sheds and mobile homes, because coyotes can use them to rest and rear young. (UC IPM.)

Lighting

• Install outdoor lighting. (AZGFD.) UC IPM says motion-sensitive lights on houses or outbuildings may deter coyotes from approaching.

Fences and gates

• The fence or wall is at least 6 feet tall, with the bottom buried a few inches underground and a top that prevents a grip. (AZGFD.) UC ANR says 8-foot fences are recommended where possible. See fencing for the details and local-rule cautions.
• Gates close fully, with no gaps and no washouts beneath. (UC IPM says coyotes prefer to dig under fences or go through gaps at gates or washouts.)

Pets

• Small pets are supervised at all times when outside. (AZGFD.)
• Cats are kept indoors or in a secure outdoor enclosure. (AZGFD.)
• Outdoor pets are on a leash, or in a secure enclosure with a roof, or supervised. (AZGFD.)
• Dogs are off-leash only in enclosed areas, and only if they have an immediate recall response. (AZGFD.)
• Pets are vaccinated for rabies and other diseases as recommended by a veterinarian. (UC IPM; AZDHS says to vaccinate all dogs and cats against rabies.)
• Poultry, rabbits and other small outdoor animals are enclosed with secure fencing and a roof. (UC ANR Coyote Cacher.)

Neighbors and response

• Neighbors know the rule: no feeding, no pet food outside. AZGFD says a unified neighborhood effort is crucial.
• Everyone knows what to do when a coyote shows up: never approach it, be loud and look large, and call AZGFD if it does not leave. See coyote hazing methods.

Pup season: a time to tighten up

AZGFD says coyotes breed every year, have two to 12 pups per litter with an average of six, and raise pups in a den. The UC Coyote Cacher page says conflicts peak during pup-rearing season, roughly March through June; the UC IPM Pest Notes give March through August for California and say coyotes’ food needs are highest then. Treat the checklist as most urgent in those months, and keep pets away from any area where you suspect a den. UC IPM says coyotes are more likely to attack dogs during pup-rearing season if dogs come too near a den site. If you think there is a den near your home, do not approach it or try to move the animals yourself; call AZGFD.

What to do about a coyote in your yard

AZGFD says an indifferent attitude toward a coyote in your yard has the same effect as feeding it, and that if a coyote is in your yard, you need to make the animal aware it is not welcome. The methods the agency describes are loud noise (yelling, whistles, music, banging pots and pans), and looking large and threatening with aggressive gestures of the arms and legs or by waving an object. Never approach the coyote, and never run.

The exception matters. Do not haze a coyote that looks sick, is cornered, is near a den, or appears to be protecting pups. Keep your distance and call AZGFD or animal control. CDC advises keeping your distance from wildlife that appears sick or injured, and AZDHS says not to try to help or touch such an animal.

Why habit changes beat gadgets

UC IPM says that in the absence of a real threat, coyotes quickly adapt to sounds, flashing lights, propane cannons and scarecrows, and that such devices have only temporary effectiveness, if any. That is why this checklist concentrates on food, water and cover, which do not stop working after a few weeks. UC IPM adds that certain hazing techniques, combined with modifications to make the environment less attractive, may reduce the chance coyotes lose their wariness of humans when they first venture into a suburban area. We do not recommend or review any repellent products, because the agencies we use do not endorse specific ones.

If a coyote has attacked a pet or bitten someone

Veterinary attention for the pet and a doctor for any person bitten or scratched come first. See steps after a pet attack and our what to know about rabies risk.

Rules to know

AZGFD says it does not relocate or remove coyotes unless there is a public-safety concern, and points residents who want an animal relocated to a licensed wildlife-removal business. We do not give any method for capturing, relocating or harming coyotes. Checked on 2026-11-14: for the current text of the feeding law, see ARS 13-2927 and confirm with AZGFD.

The AZGFD prevention list in one place

AZGFD’s Living with Coyotes page groups what draws coyotes into three kinds of attractant. Food: rabbits, birds, rodents, livestock, pet food, unattended pets, garbage and fallen fruit. Water: pet bowls, fountains and pools. Shelter: shrubs, storm drains, and the space under sheds or porches. Its prevention list is: remove attractants such as pet food, water, bird feeders, fallen fruit and garbage; never feed wildlife; feed pets inside; keep poultry and livestock in roofed enclosures; trim ground-level shrubs; put garbage out the morning of pickup; use motion-activated lights, sprinklers or noise; and work with your neighbors. AZGFD also says not to spread seed outside, because seed draws the rodents and rabbits that coyotes hunt. It says a 6-foot fence is not reliable protection, because coyotes are skilled jumpers. (AZGFD, accessed 2026-11-14.)

What we could not source

We could not find an Arizona agency page we opened that gives a seasonal calendar for yard work, a recommended lighting type, or a tested product list. We leave those out. Our shareable safety handout carries the shortest version of these tips. Last checked on 2026-11-14; read our editorial policy.