Law on Dogs' Barking in the Middle of the Night

A dog's barking in the middle of the night can be very disturbing. When it interrupts your sleep it can interfere with every aspect of your life, including your career. This is why laws were enacted addressing this problem. These laws differ depending on the state in which you live and whether or not you live in the city or country.

  1. Laws in Your Area

    • To find out the laws in your area pertaining to barking dogs at night, contact the Department of Animal Control in your specific area. They will be able to tell you exactly what your rights are. The laws for dogs barking in the middle of the night are usually stricter within the city limits than on the outskirts of cities or in the country, because the noise ordinance laws for cities are stricter.

    Basic Laws

    • You will find that even though the laws are different depending on where you live, a few features are similar for most areas. Dog owners are responsible for their pets and must prevent them from barking excessively for long periods of time. In other words, your dog can bark at night as long as he does not do so excessively. Excessive barking is hard to define, but essentially means that the barking is persistent and disturbs more than one household in the neighborhood.

    First Step

    • If you're being disturbed by a barking dog in the middle of the night, the law requires you to talk first to the dog owner and explain that the barking is disturbing your sleep. Be tactful and polite and try to explain your situation. Most dog owners will be sympathetic to your needs and will make an effort to stop their dog from excessively barking. If your attempts to solve the problem fail, you have the right to call your local police station and report the disturbance, or report the barking dog to the local Animal Control Agency.

    Next Step

    • The Animal Control officer will first visit the dog owner and explain the situation, asking him to correct the problem. If the barking continues the officer will issue a warning notice to the dog owner. If this still does not solve the problem, the next step would be to find other neighbors who are willing to confirm they are also bothered by the disturbance and would like something to be done about the barking. If necessary, the officer may go door to door to the surrounding homes to personally ask if the residents have a problem with the barking.

    Last Resort

    • If more than one person comes forth to complain, the Animal Control officer will most likely issue a final warning requiring the dog owner to correct the problem. The owner will also be advised of the possible penalties of noncompliance. The neighbors who complain will be asked to keep a detailed barking log that records when the dog barks along with the duration. Video tapes, audio recordings and photographs would be beneficial if the problem continues. These will be useful if you decide to take the dog owner to small-claims court, which you have the right to do.