Jersey City, NJ Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Under Chapter 222, Section 222-5.4.I of the Jersey City Code, it is unlawful for a property owner or tenant to allow any domesticated or caged animal to create a sound across a real property line that unreasonably disturbs or interferes with the peace, comfort and repose of any resident, or to refuse or intentionally fail to stop the noise once a noise control officer or noise control investigator orders it stopped. The ordinance sets two specific evidentiary thresholds that count as prima facie proof of a violation: vocalizing (howling, yelping, barking, squawking, etc.) for five minutes without interruption, defined as averaging four or more vocalizations per minute during that stretch, or vocalizing intermittently for twenty minutes, averaging two or more vocalizations per minute.

It is an affirmative defense that the dog or other animal was intentionally provoked into barking or making noise. Enforcement runs through the noise control officers and investigators created by Section 222-5, including code enforcement inspectors and police officers who have completed Rutgers Noise Technical Assistance Center certification training per Section 222-5.D (added 2020). A violator gets a notice of violation (NOV) for a minor violation, with a grace period of up to ninety days to voluntarily correct under the state Grace Period Law, or a notice of penalty assessment (NOPA) for a non-minor or repeat violation, carrying a civil penalty of up to $2,000 per offense under Section 222-5.6.B, tied to the cap in N.J.S.A. 40:49-5. Each continuing day of violation is a separate offense, and NOPA recipients can request a municipal court hearing.