Chino, CA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Chino, CA, 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
- Complaint threshold
- Sworn declaration, neighbor within 200 yards
- Warning period
- 48 hours before officer confirmation
- Officer-witnessed barking
- 10 min., 2 occasions in 7 days
- Hearing notice
- 10 days by certified mail
- Outcome if nuisance found
- 10-day hold, then rural adoption
- Nighttime rule
- Dogs outdoors 10 p.m.-7 a.m. may be impounded
Summary
Chino Municipal Code Chapter 6.20 declares a dog that barks continuously, day or night, to the annoyance of the neighborhood a nuisance and lays out a formal abatement process: sworn neighbor declarations, a 48-hour warning, officer-witnessed barking, and a hearing that can end with the dog impounded and placed for adoption.
A dog which barks in a substantially continuous manner in the daytime or nighttime to the annoyance of people in the neighborhood is declared to be a nuisance which may be abated by the procedures hereinafter provided. ... If the situation is not corrected after forty-eight hours warning to the owner of the dog, the humane society officer or police officer who personally hears the dog barking continuously for at least a ten-minute period on at least two separate occasions during a seven-day period shall submit a declaration under penalty of perjury in that regard. Then the humane society may enter the private property and impound the dog pending a hearing to follow as hereinafter provided.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38).
Full Breakdown
Section 6.20.010 defines the nuisance: "a dog which barks in a substantially continuous manner in the daytime or nighttime to the annoyance of people in the neighborhood." Abatement begins when a resident living within two hundred yards of the dog files a declaration under penalty of perjury with the poundmaster, stating that the dog barked for a substantially long period within the past month to the declarant's extreme annoyance and causing deterioration of emotional health, and confirming a certified-mail copy was sent to the owner (Section 6.20.020).
The Humane Society of Pomona Valley then assigns an officer to interview the complainant and owner and to warn the owner of possible abatement (Section 6.20.040). If the barking is not corrected within forty-eight hours of that warning, and a humane society or police officer personally hears the dog bark continuously for at least ten minutes on at least two separate occasions within a seven-day period, that officer files a sworn declaration and the humane society may enter the property and impound the dog pending a hearing (Section 6.20.050).
The poundmaster appoints a hearing officer, and notice by certified mail must go to the owner and each complaining witness at least ten days before the hearing (Section 6.20.060). Both sides may present evidence and cross-examine witnesses (Section 6.20.080), and the hearing officer decides whether the dog is a nuisance (Section 6.20.090). If so declared, the humane society holds the dog for at least ten days to let the owner seek a judicial remedy before making "every effort to place such dog for adoption in a rural area" (Section 6.20.100).
Separately, Section 6.20.110 lets an officer impound a dog left outdoors between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. if reported as a nuisance and the owner does not immediately shelter it after notice.
Violations & Fines
A dog declared a nuisance under this abatement process may be impounded, held for at least ten days, and ultimately placed for adoption away from the complaining neighborhood if no court order intervenes. A dog left outdoors overnight between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. after a nuisance report and notice to the owner may also be impounded, with return conditioned on paying the boarding costs incurred while impounded.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I file a barking dog complaint in Chino?
Can Chino impound my dog just from one complaint?
What happens to a dog declared a nuisance in Chino?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino
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Barking Dogs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle barking dogs.