Coconut Creek, FL Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Coconut Creek, FL, 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
- § 14-33, Noise by animals and birds
- Continued duration
- 15 minutes or more without interruption
- Complaint requirement
- Sworn affidavit naming address, times and animal (§ 14-35)
- Monitoring period
- 30 days if the noise is not perceived
- Farm exemption
- Farm animals on agriculturally zoned land (§ 14-28(e))
- Companion rule
- § 5-6(a) animal nuisance through loud noise
Summary
In the City of Coconut Creek, Florida, no one can own, possess or harbor an animal or bird whose species-typical sound, kept up for a continued duration of fifteen minutes or more, creates a noise disturbance. A sworn affidavit starts a case, and the city monitors for thirty days.
No person shall own, possess or harbor any animal or bird which for a continued duration emits sound that is native to the species, which sound creates a noise disturbance as defined in this article II, "noise."
Full Breakdown
Section 14-33 of the Coconut Creek Code is one sentence, but it leans on definitions in Section 14-26. Continued duration means a consistent condition or pattern, continuous, periodic or impulsive, that occurs without interruption for fifteen minutes or more. A noise disturbance is any noise that exceeds the article's sound level standards, and § 14-29(a) also lets city employees find one by ear when a sound is so harsh, prolonged, unnatural or unusual in time or place as to cause unreasonable discomfort to nearby residents or businesses. Their factors include volume, proximity to residential sleeping facilities, time of day or night, duration, and whether the noise is recurrent, intermittent or constant. Sounds generated by farm animals on agriculturally zoned and agriculturally exempted land are exempt under § 14-28(e).
Section 14-35(b) sets the complaint route. To obtain a written summons to appear before the special magistrate, the city must receive a sworn affidavit from a complainant listing the complainant's name and address, the address of the alleged violation, the nature, time, duration and dates of the noise, the name and address of the owner or custodian if known, and a description of the source, such as a type of animal. If the city employee cannot perceive the noise, monitoring runs for thirty days, and the case closes administratively if the noise is not heard in that window or the evidence does not support a disturbance.
Chapter 5 also reaches barking. Section 5-6(a) makes it unlawful for an owner to allow an animal, willfully or through failure to exercise due care, to create a nuisance through loud or annoying noise. Code enforcement and the police department enforce the noise article.
Violations & Fines
Article II penalties follow § 1-8. A Chapter 14 violation is fined $50 first, $75 second, $100 third and $100 to $500 fourth; a Chapter 5 violation under § 5-6(a) is fined $50, $100, $150, then $200 to $500. A continuous disturbance can be fined per diem, and recurring barking after warning at an escalating daily amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a dog have to bark before it violates the code?
What does a neighbor need to file a barking complaint?
What happens if the city employee never hears the dog?
Are farm animals covered by the same rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coconut Creek
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Coconut Creek to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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How other cities in Broward County handle barking dogs.