Hudson, NH Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 188-3, adopted with Hudson's full rewrite of Chapter 188 on August 10, 2021, defines a 'BARKING DOG' as one that barks, bays, cries, howls or makes any noise common to the species, and applies whenever that noise is plainly audible incessantly for more than 10 minutes or intermittently for more than 30 minutes, at any time of day, whether the dog is on private property or not. The same threshold defines a 'NOISY ANIMAL' and 'NOISY FOWL' for other pets and livestock. Subsection C makes it unlawful for an owner or keeper to permit that noise, and each day a violation continues is a separate, chargeable offense.

Four exclusions keep the rule from reaching provoked or defensive animals: Subsection D exempts noise made while a person is trespassing on the property where the animal is kept, while the animal is being teased or provoked, while it is responding to pain or injury, or while it is protecting itself, its kennel, its offspring or a person from an actual threat. A separate agricultural exemption in Subsection D(3) removes legitimate farming operations from the section entirely.

To report a violation, Subsection E requires more than a phone call: the complainant must submit a sworn affidavit before a notary giving the address, date, time and whether the noise was incessant or intermittent, and only one complaint per household per incident is accepted. Hudson's Animal Control Division investigates, and the Animal Control Officer may issue the responsible owner a warning letter giving 15 days to abate the noise before a formal violation issues under the fee schedule.