Broomfield, CO Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Broomfield, CO, 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
- BMC § 6-12-080
- Witness requirement
- Two complaining witnesses, separate households
- Officer workaround
- One officer's observation counts as witness #2
- Exemptions
- Animal control officers, veterinary hospitals
- Enforcing agency
- Broomfield Police / animal control
Summary
Broomfield Municipal Code Section 6-12-080 bans keeping a dog, cat or other animal that disturbs a neighborhood's peace and quiet by barking, howling, crying or fighting. Before Broomfield Municipal Court will hear a case, at least two complaining witnesses from separate households must sign the complaint, unless a police or animal control officer personally observed the noise.
(A)It is unlawful for any animal owner or for any person in charge of any animal to own, keep, or have in his or her possession such an animal which disturbs the peace and quiet of any person or neighborhood by barking, fighting, howling, crying, or emitting any other similar sound.(B)No summons and complaint shall be issued nor shall there be a conviction or penalty assessment for a violation of this section unless there are at least two or more complaining witnesses from separate households who shall have signed such complaint and shall be willing and available to testify at a hearing or trial. An animal control officer or police officer who has personally investigated the complaint of a single complainant and observed the behavior of the animal complained of, with regard to its barking, fighting, howling, crying, or similar sound, may satisfy the requirement for the second complaining witness and may testify to his or her observations at hearing or trial.(C)This section shall not apply to an animal control officer in the performance of his or her duties nor to veterinary hospitals.
Full Breakdown
Section 6-12-080 of the Broomfield Municipal Code, part of Chapter 6-12 (Animals Running at Large; Strays; Impoundment; Disturbing the Peace), makes it unlawful for an animal owner or keeper to own, keep or possess an animal that disturbs the peace and quiet of a person or neighborhood through barking, fighting, howling, crying or any similar sound. The ordinance builds in a procedural safeguard against single-neighbor complaints: no summons and complaint may issue, and no conviction or penalty assessment may result, unless at least two complaining witnesses from separate households have signed the complaint and are willing and available to testify at a hearing or trial.
Broomfield's animal control officers and police department handle enforcement, and the code allows one workaround to the two-witness rule: an officer who personally investigated a single complaint and personally observed the animal's barking, fighting or howling may stand in for the second witness and testify to those observations at trial. The section carves out two express exemptions: it does not apply to an animal control officer performing official duties, and it does not apply to veterinary hospitals, so boarded or treated animals making noise on hospital premises are not violations.
The rule sits alongside the separate running-at-large prohibition in 6-12-010 and the confinement-during-estrus rule in 6-12-090, all enforced through the same municipal court process that handles other Title 6 animal violations.
Violations & Fines
A single neighbor's complaint cannot support a citation; Broomfield requires two complaining witnesses from separate households who sign the complaint and are available to testify, or one officer's personal observation of the barking substituting for the second witness. Once that threshold is met, the case proceeds in Broomfield Municipal Court like any other Title 6 animal offense, with animal control officers and police handling enforcement in the field.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can one neighbor get my dog cited for barking in Broomfield?
Does the barking dog rule apply to kennels or vets?
What kind of noise counts under this ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Broomfield
Compare Broomfield to another location·View the Colorado noise ordinances overview
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