Queen Creek, AZ Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Town Code Section 9-6-7, Animal Noise, prohibits keeping or harboring any animal that by frequent, habitual, or continued barking, yelping, howling, crowing, or any other noise disturbs the peace of a residential neighborhood. Notably, the rule covers crowing as well as barking, which matters in a town with a long agricultural history and residents who keep backyard poultry alongside dogs. As with every other section of Article 9-6, before the Town can issue a citation, Section 9-6-11 requires at least two complaining witnesses from separate households or locations, or two verified written complaints, which count as prima facie evidence of the violation; a single Authorized Enforcement Agent can substitute as one witness if they personally observe or can verify the disturbance.

Enforcement runs through the Queen Creek Police Department and other Authorized Enforcement Agents under Section 9-1-1. A first violation is punished as a Civil Offense under the townwide schedule in Section 9-21-2(C): a $250 civil penalty, rising to $500 for a second offense and $2,000 for a third within a 12-month period measured backward from the most recent incident. Three violations of the same or similar type within a three-month span make the owner a Repeat Violator under Section 9-6-10 for the following twelve months, during which any further violation is a class 1 misdemeanor carrying a civil penalty of at least $3,000.

Repeated violations can also be declared a nuisance under Chapter 10 of the Town Code per Section 9-6-12, opening the door to additional nuisance-abatement remedies beyond the noise citation itself.