Farmington Hills, MI Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 6-5, part of chapter 6's general animal provisions, targets any dog, cat, bird, or other animal that emits "loud or shrill noises" through barking, howling, yelping, or calling often enough to become a "serious annoyance" to the neighborhood or to people passing on the street. The ordinance does not set a decibel limit or a minimum number of minutes; the standard is the frequency and habitual nature of the noise and its effect on neighbors, so a single short bark is not what the section targets, but noise so frequent or ongoing that neighbors are seriously bothered by it is.

Because § 6-5 sits within chapter 6's general Article I animal provisions rather than the wildlife-feeding sections carved out as civil infractions in §§ 6-10 and 6-11, an owner cited for a noisy animal is prosecuted the same way as any other chapter 6 misdemeanor, through the city's ordinance enforcement officers appointed under § 1-19, rather than through the municipal civil infraction bureau. A resident who wants a barking complaint investigated contacts the city's ordinance enforcement office or the police non-emergency line so an officer can document the pattern of noise before a citation issues, since the statute requires proof the barking is habitual and seriously disruptive rather than an isolated incident.