Sahuarita, AZ Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

45 STC, Excessive Noise Caused by Animals, is the town's dedicated barking-dog ordinance. 010(A) makes it unlawful to own, possess, harbor or control any animal that frequently or continuously howls, barks, meows, squawks or makes other sounds if those sounds are clearly audible beyond the property line and disturb the public peace, quiet or comfort of neighboring inhabitants; the standard reaches any noisy animal, not just dogs, and requires both audibility past the line and an actual disturbance of neighbors, not merely that a neighbor is annoyed.

010(B) closes an identification gap: if the responsible owner cannot be determined, the owner, lessee or occupant of the property where the animal is kept is deemed responsible instead. 010(C) makes a violation a civil infraction, and it is treated as a continuing offense, with each day the noise persists counted as a separate violation, so an unresolved barking complaint can generate a new citation daily. 020 provides one exemption: a person whose noise-generating activity began before January 4, 1994 may ask the town magistrate for relief, and the magistrate may grant it only if strict enforcement would cause undue hardship and there is no reasonable alternative way to carry on the activity, a narrow, case-by-case grandfather clause rather than a blanket exemption for any longstanding animal noise.