Barking dog rules in Bend, 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.
Bend treats a barking or noisy animal as an animal nuisance under Bend Code 5.20.040, which lists an animal that 'disturbs any person by frequent or prolonged noises.' The general noise chapter (BC 5.50) also reaches animal noise that is unnecessarily loud or disturbs sleep.
Bend addresses persistent dog barking primarily through its animal-nuisance rule, Bend Code (BC) 5.20.040, which declares an animal a nuisance if it 'disturbs any person by frequent or prolonged noises,' among other behaviors. The owner or keeper is responsible for the animal's conduct (BC 5.20.010). Owning or keeping an animal that is a nuisance under BC 5.20.040 is a Class A civil infraction (BC 5.20.065). An animal that violates the nuisance rule may also be seized and impounded by a Bend Police officer (BC 5.20.045). In addition, the city's general noise chapter defines 'unnecessarily loud' as any sound that interferes with normal spoken communication or could reasonably disturb sleep (BC 5.50.015), which can capture sustained barking. There is no fixed number of minutes of barking specified in the code; enforcement turns on whether the noise is frequent, prolonged, or unnecessarily loud and disturbs others.
An animal that disturbs people by frequent or prolonged noise is a nuisance under BC 5.20.040; keeping such an animal is a Class A civil infraction (BC 5.20.065). The Municipal Court may also order reimbursement of impound costs. Barking that meets the general noise standard could additionally be cited under Chapter 5.50 as a Class A civil infraction (BC 5.50.040). Complaints are handled through the Bend Police Department / city code enforcement.
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See how Bend's barking dogs rules stack up against other locations.
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