Prince George's County, MD Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 19-121(11) defines a "noise disturbance" as sound that is unpleasant, annoying, offensive, loud, or obnoxious; unusual for the time or place produced; detrimental to health, comfort, or reasonable enjoyment of property; or that exceeds the Division's objective decibel standards. Unlike the numeric dBA limits in Section 19-122(a) that govern mechanical and amplified sources, a barking dog is judged under this broader disturbance standard, and Section 19-121(7)(B) designates the Director of the Animal Control Division, within the Department of the Environment, as the enforcement officer for noise coming from an animal.

A related and older provision, Section 3-134, separately declares it a public nuisance for an owner to "permit an animal to disturb the quiet of any person or neighborhood" through frequent or long-continued noise, but requires the complaining neighbor to first notify the owner before an abatement duty attaches. Section 19-123(b)(14) exempts "household pets on residential property that are maintained in accordance with local zoning requirements" from the Division generally, but that exemption does not shield a dog whose barking is proven to be a noise disturbance under Section 19-122(b). Enforcement runs through the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (formerly enacted CB-21-2011, amended CB-18-2018 and CB-073-2024).