Pima County, AZ Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

160 defines "property line" broadly, including the boundary of an apartment, condo, room or other dwelling unit; for noise from a public street or right-of-way, the property line is the nearest edge of that right-of-way (subsection A). Subsection B makes it a prohibited activity to own, possess, harbor or control any animal or bird that frequently or continuously howls, barks, meows, squawks or otherwise sounds off, but only if the noise is clearly audible beyond the property line AND disturbs the peace, quiet or comfort of neighboring inhabitants; a noisy pet confined to normal audibility on the owner's own property isn't a violation.

Pima Animal Care and local law enforcement administer and enforce the section (subsection C). A first violation is adjudicated as a civil infraction by a county hearing officer under written procedures the board of supervisors adopts, following Arizona Supreme Court civil-traffic rules; once an owner is found responsible twice, any further violation is filed directly in Pima County Justice Court (subsection D(1)). If the animal's owner can't be identified, the property's owner, lessee or occupant is deemed responsible instead (D(2)), and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense (D(3)).

Owners of activities that predate the ordinance may ask the hearing officer for an exemption if strict enforcement would cause undue hardship with no reasonable alternative (subsection E). S. Title 12, Chapter 7, Article 6 (subsection G).