Barking dog rules in Calaveras County, CA — also called nuisance dog, dog noise, or excessive barking ordinances — define when a barking dog becomes a code violation and how complaints are handled.
A persistently barking dog in unincorporated Calaveras County can be a noise disturbance under County Code Chapter 9.02, which the County's General Plan cites as the tool for isolated incidents like a barking dog. Complaints go to the Sheriff, who is the designated Noise Control Officer.
Calaveras County's Noise Control ordinance (County Code Chapter 9.02) does not name dogs in a dedicated section, but barking that 'disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities' fits the ordinance's definition of a 'noise disturbance' in Section 9.02.020 and can exceed the Section 9.02.030 limits of background plus 10 dBA in the day or plus 5 dBA at night. The County's General Plan Noise Element expressly identifies the barking dog as the type of isolated, complaint-based incident the Chapter 9.02 ordinance is enforced against, in contrast to the proactive development standards in the General Plan. The ordinance also notes that animal-related matters can fall under separate provisions of the County Code. Because the Calaveras County Sheriff is designated the Noise Control Officer under Section 9.02.020, barking-dog complaints in the unincorporated county are reported to the Sheriff or to County Code Compliance. Enforcement is complaint-driven, and the County may also pursue animal nuisance remedies through Animal Services. This ordinance covers the unincorporated communities (Arnold, Murphys, Valley Springs, Copperopolis, San Andreas, and others) but not the incorporated City of Angels Camp.
Barking that creates a noise disturbance can be cited under Chapter 9.02: a first violation is an infraction and a repeat within 12 months is a misdemeanor. All violations are also public nuisances abatable under Chapter 8.06, including administrative citations.
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