Washington County, OR Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Washington County, OR, also called nuisance dog, dog noise, or excessive barking ordinances, define when a barking dog becomes a code violation and how complaints are handled.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- WCC 6.04.260 (Continuous annoyance)
- Threshold
- 5+ minutes barking per any 15-minute period
- Warning required
- 120-hour written abatement notice first
- Infraction class
- Class C civil infraction
- Fine
- $160 presumptive, up to $500/$1,000
- Scope
- Unincorporated Washington County only
Summary
Washington County Code 6.04.260 defines 'continuous annoyance' as repeated barking, whining, screeching, or howling from a dog that can be reasonably heard beyond the property line. After a written warning notice giving the owner 120 hours to abate, letting the dog keep barking five or more minutes out of any 15-minute stretch becomes a Class C civil infraction.
(1)Continuous Annoyance means any repeated barking, whining, screeching, howling, or other sounds caused by a dog or dogs which can be reasonably heard beyond the boundary of the dog owner's property.(2)Whenever an animal services officer has reasonable grounds to believe a dog has caused a continuous annoyance, written notice may be delivered to the dog owner or mailed to the resident of premises where the alleged continuous annoyance is occurring, with a description of the alleged continuous annoyance, and directing the dog owner to abate the possible continuous annoyance within one hundred twenty hours.(3)If one hundred twenty hours has passed from the date the notice was mailed or delivered, and the possible continuous annoyance has not been abated, it is a Class C civil infraction for a dog owner or keeper to allow a dog or dogs to cause a continuous annoyance for a total of five or more minutes out of any fifteen-minute period.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Community Development Code: Supplement 2 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
' The process is notice-first: when an animal services officer has reasonable grounds to believe a dog has caused a continuous annoyance, the county delivers or mails written notice describing the alleged annoyance and directing the owner to abate it within one hundred twenty hours (five days). Only after that 120-hour window has run, and the annoyance still hasn't been abated, does it become a Class C civil infraction for the dog to cause a continuous annoyance for a total of five or more minutes out of any fifteen-minute period.
that the dog is reacting to other animals or people if the owner or keeper is not home and attempting to mitigate the continuous annoyance at the time of the violation', an absent owner can't excuse the barking by pointing to a provocation. 12 civil-infraction process used for the rest of the animal code, with an enforcement officer issuing the notice of civil infraction and a hearings officer adjudicating contested cases. 260 governs only unincorporated Washington County; a barking complaint inside Hillsboro, Beaverton, or the county's other cities goes to that city's own code, not this chapter.
Violations & Fines
A continuous-annoyance barking violation under WCC 6.04.260 is a Class C civil infraction, carrying a $160 presumptive fine under WCC 1.12.210's schedule: an $80 minimum, up to $500 for an individual or $1,000 for a corporation. The infraction only attaches after the county's 120-hour written abatement notice has expired and the barking continues at five or more minutes per fifteen-minute period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get a warning before I can be cited for a barking dog?
How much barking actually counts as a violation?
Can I argue my dog was just reacting to something?
Does this cover barking complaints in Hillsboro or Beaverton?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Oregon noise ordinances overview
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