Grand Junction, CO Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Grand Junction Municipal Code § 6.12.070, enforced by Mesa County Animal Services under the City's animal control contract, makes it unlawful for a dog owner to fail to prevent the animal from disturbing the peace by loud and persistent barking, baying, howling, yipping, crying, yelping or whining, whether the dog is on or off its owner's premises. The ordinance builds in due-process protections: provocation of the dog is an affirmative defense under subsection (b), and a complainant cannot stay anonymous. Subsection (c) requires the complaining neighbor to give their name, address and telephone number along with the date, time, place and duration of the barking and, if known, the owner's name and address, before Animal Services can pursue the case.

No conviction can follow from a bare complaint; the City must produce oral testimony or other reliable evidence, including video or digital recordings, of the violation. Enforcement runs through the penalty assessment process set out at § 6.12.150, with a graduated fine schedule of up to $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second, $250 for a third and $500 for a fourth or later offense within two years. Because § 6.12.070 is listed among the sections covered by § 6.12.180, a summons-and-complaint prosecution for a barking violation not involving bodily injury is punishable by a fine of up to $500.

An owner who racks up three or more penalty assessment notices for any Chapter 6.12 violation within two years must be issued a summons to Municipal Court under § 6.12.120(c)(3)(v), and repeat offenders convicted three or more times in two years face up to 90 days in the County jail in addition to any fine.