Newport News, VA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Newport News, VA, also called nuisance dog, dog noise, or excessive barking ordinances, define when a barking dog becomes a code violation and how complaints are handled.
Key Facts
- Quiet hours
- 10 p.m.–8 a.m.
- Repeat trigger
- once/minute for 10 min
- Distance trigger
- audible 50+ feet away
- Penalty
- Class 4 misdemeanor per day
- First step
- notice to abate required
Summary
Newport News makes animal or bird noise a public nuisance if it carries across a property line or into a neighbor's home overnight, or repeats once a minute for ten straight minutes at 50 or more feet.
Any person who shall own, allow, permit, keep or harbor... any animal(s) or bird(s) which creates sound (i) that is plainly audible across property boundaries... between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.; ... or (iv) that is plainly audible at fifty (50) or more feet from the animal(s) or bird(s) at least once a minute for ten (10) consecutive minutes, shall be deemed to have caused or permitted a public nuisance, which is unlawful, and shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor for each occurrence.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 6-9 covers any animal or bird whose sound is plainly audible across a property line or inside a neighbor's dwelling between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., or that repeats at least once a minute for ten straight minutes, or carries 50 feet or more from the source during either of those windows. Any one of the four triggers makes the noise a public nuisance. The city gives notice to remove, correct or abate the noise before penalties attach.
Violations & Fines
Each day the nuisance continues after notice to abate has been given is a separate Class 4 misdemeanor: the notice-then-violate structure means a first complaint typically brings a warning, not a citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the barking-dog rule only apply at night?
What happens after a first complaint?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newport News
Compare Newport News to another location·View the Virginia noise ordinances overview
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