Gilbert, AZ Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Gilbert, AZ, 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
- Code of Gilbert § 6-2
- Witness requirement
- 2 separate-household complaining witnesses
- Covers
- Any animal, not just dogs
- Repeat offense
- Habitual offender rules, § 1-5
- Current version adopted
- Ord. No. 2124, Feb. 26, 2008
Summary
Gilbert's noise ordinance makes it unlawful to keep or harbor any animal whose frequent, habitual or continued noise annoys a neighbor or people on public streets or sidewalks. Section 6-2 of the Code of Gilbert requires at least two complaining witnesses from separate households, each of whom must sign the complaint and testify at trial, before a citation can result in conviction.
It is unlawful to keep or harbor any animal which by frequent, habitual or continued noise shall cause an annoyance or inconvenience to a neighbor or to people passing to and from upon the public streets or sidewalks. No summons and complaint shall be issued nor shall there be a conviction for violation of this section unless there are at least two complaining witnesses from separate households who shall have signed such complaint and shall have testified at trial. Any person found responsible for violating this section shall be subject the civil sanctions and habitual offender provisions set forth in section 1-5 of this Code.
(Code 1984, § 13-1-5; Ord. No. 1363, § I.2., 8-21-01; Ord. No. 1557, § I, 4-27-04; Ord. No. 2124, § I, 2-26-08)
Editor's note— Ord. No. 1557, § I, adopted April 27, 2004, deleted the provisions of former § 6-2, which pertained to injured animals, and derived from Code 1984, § 13-1-3(B). Said ordinance also redesignated former § 6-3 as § 6-2.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 102).
Full Breakdown
Town of Gilbert Code § 6-2, titled 'Noisy animals,' sits in Chapter 6, Article I of the general code and traces to Code 1984 § 13-1-5, most recently amended by Ordinance No. 2124 on Feb. 26, 2008. The rule bars keeping or harboring 'any animal', not just dogs, whose frequent, habitual or continued noise causes annoyance or inconvenience to a neighbor or to people passing on public streets or sidewalks. Gilbert built an unusual evidentiary safeguard into the section: no summons and complaint may be issued, and no conviction may result, unless at least two complaining witnesses from separate households have signed the complaint and testified at trial.
That two-household corroboration requirement means a single frustrated neighbor cannot trigger enforcement alone, the enforcement agent needs a second household independently willing to sign and testify. A person found responsible faces the town's civil sanctions and habitual offender provisions codified at Code of Gilbert § 1-5, which escalate penalties for repeat violators rather than treating each noisy-animal complaint as an isolated first offense. The current § 6-2 dates to Ordinance No. 1557 (April 27, 2004), which repealed a prior § 6-2 dealing with injured animals (derived from Code 1984 § 13-1-3(B)) and redesignated the former § 6-3 noise provision into the current numbering, so older citations to '§ 6-3' for noisy animals refer to this same rule.
Violations & Fines
A first substantiated violation is a civil citation once two separate-household witnesses have signed and testified; repeat violations escalate under the town's habitual offender provisions in § 1-5, which can raise fines and add mandatory court appearances for chronic noise complaints. Because § 6-2 requires corroborating witnesses before any conviction, an officer cannot cite an owner on a single neighbor's report alone: the complaint must be supported and pursued through Gilbert's court process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I report a neighbor's barking dog to the Town of Gilbert?
Does Gilbert's noisy-animal rule only apply to dogs?
What happens if the same owner is cited for a noisy animal repeatedly?
Where did Gilbert's current noisy-animal section come from?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gilbert
Compare Gilbert to another location·View the Arizona noise ordinances overview
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