Bend, OR Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Bend Code 5.20.040(A)(5) lists 'disturbs any person by frequent or prolonged noises' among the acts that make an animal other than a domestic cat a nuisance, and the parallel cat-specific list at 5.20.040(B)(4) uses identical language, so a persistently barking dog and a persistently yowling cat are treated the same way for noise purposes. A separate, narrower rule applies inside City-designated off-leash dog areas: Bend Code 5.20.030(C) requires the owner or keeper of a dog in an off-leash area to control it at all times and bars letting the dog fight other dogs or 'harass, bark at, bite, threaten or injure a person or animal.' A dog that violates that off-leash conduct rule can be excluded from the off-leash area for up to 24 hours, and if the underlying conduct is also charged as an animal nuisance under 5.20.040, the dog is excluded from all off-leash areas citywide until the Bend Municipal Court Judge reviews the citation.

Any member of the Bend Police Department can apply to the Municipal Court for a search-and-seizure warrant for an animal that has violated the nuisance section, and the owner or keeper bears responsibility for the animal's noise under Bend Code 5.20.010 regardless of who was actually present when the barking occurred.