Del Norte County, CA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

In the unincorporated area of Del Norte County, a chronically barking or howling dog is addressed two ways. First, the county's noise ordinance prohibits creating noise that exceeds the residential exterior standard (55 dB(A) daytime, 50 dB(A) at night, reduced 5 dB(A) for sounds like animal cries that read as simple-tone noise) when measured on another residential property; sustained barking can contribute to that limit. Second, Del Norte County Code Chapter 7.08 (Nuisance) treats conditions and activities that are offensive to the senses or interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property as a public nuisance subject to abatement, which is the traditional path for barking-dog complaints. The Del Norte County Sheriff's Office Animal Services investigates loose and nuisance-dog complaints in the unincorporated communities, and the county has worked from a revised Animal Control Ordinance. Because the county's animal-control document we reviewed was a scanned image, this site does not state a specific 'barking minutes' threshold; complainants should contact Animal Services or Code Enforcement, who can explain current procedures, warnings, and citations. Crescent City handles barking complaints within city limits separately.