Santa Clara County, CA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Under the County Noise Ordinance (Division B11, Chapter VIII), it is a noise disturbance to own, possess or harbor any animal or bird that howls, barks, meows, squawks or makes other noises continuously and/or incessantly for a period of ten minutes, or intermittently for one-half hour or more, in a manner that creates a noise disturbance across a residential or commercial real property line. The ordinance provides an exception: the animal or bird noise is not a disturbance if a person is trespassing or threatening to trespass on private property where the animal is kept, or for any other legitimate cause that teased or provoked the animal or bird. Complaints about animal noise in the unincorporated County are handled through the County's complaint process - the Consumer Protection Division and Department of Environmental Health investigate excessive noise from residential and commercial sources, and animal-control / mediation pathways are also commonly used. Because the unincorporated County's animal-noise provision functions primarily as a nuisance standard, residents often pursue documentation (logs, recordings) and mediation before formal enforcement. These rules apply only to the unincorporated areas; incorporated cities have their own barking-dog provisions.