Edmonds, WA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Edmonds, WA, 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
- Continuous noise threshold
- 10+ minutes
- Intermittent noise threshold
- 20+ minutes total
- 1st violation
- $100.00 civil infraction
- 3rd violation (1 yr)
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000/90 days jail
- Abatement appeal window
- 5 days of notice
Summary
Edmonds City Code 5.05.115 makes it a public nuisance for an animal to bark, howl, yelp, or whine enough to disturb a neighborhood, defined as 10 or more continuous minutes or 20 or more intermittent minutes of noise. A first violation is a $100 civil infraction, escalating to $250 for a repeat and a criminal misdemeanor on a third within a year.
Nuisances are hereby defined to include, but are not limited to, the following: ... ... 5. Any animal which howls, yelps, whines, barks or makes any noises in such a manner as to disturb any person or neighborhood to an unreasonable degree, taken to be continuous noise for a period of 10 or more minutes or intermittent noise that totals a period of 20 or more minutes, except that such sounds made indoors in animal shelters or in commercial kennels duly licensed shall be exempt; ... Any person violating any provision of this section shall be guilty of a civil infraction, which shall be punishable by a fine of $100.00. ... Any person committing a second violation of any provision of this section within one calendar year shall be guilty of a civil infraction, which shall be punishable by a fine of $250.00. ... Any person committing a third violation of any provision of this section within one calendar year shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to a fine not to exceed $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4444, passed August 3, 2026).
Full Breakdown
115 lists eleven categories of animal-related public nuisances, and subsection (B)(5) targets noise directly: any animal that howls, yelps, whines, barks, or makes noise disturbing a person or neighborhood to an unreasonable degree, measured as continuous noise for 10 or more minutes or intermittent noise totaling 20 or more minutes. The code carves out an exemption for animal shelters and duly licensed commercial kennels, whose indoor noise doesn't count. Once a dog or other animal crosses that threshold, the nuisance is enforced the same way as the chapter's other nuisance categories, like animals that chase vehicles or exhibit vicious propensities.
120, the animal control authority serves a written notice and order to abate when it receives a complaint from an officer or from three or more people with separate residences or workplaces in the neighborhood; the notice becomes a final determination that the noise is a nuisance unless the owner appeals to the Edmonds municipal court within five days. 120(F). 05's animal control provisions, separate from any development-related noise standard elsewhere in the code.
Violations & Fines
A first violation is a civil infraction punishable by a $100.00 fine under 5.05.115(C)(1). A second violation within the same calendar year is a civil infraction punishable by $250.00. A third violation within the same calendar year is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000.00 and/or 90 days in jail under 5.05.115(C)(3).
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a dog have to bark before it's a code violation in Edmonds?
What happens after a barking-dog complaint in Edmonds?
Are kennels exempt from the barking nuisance rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Edmonds
Compare Edmonds to another location·View the Washington noise ordinances overview
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Barking Dogs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle barking dogs.