Scottsdale, AZ Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Scottsdale, AZ, 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
- Legal standard
- Frequent or habitual noise (§ 4-17(c))
- Complainant threshold
- 2 persons, one may be an officer
- Scope
- Any animal or fowl, not just dogs
- Default penalty
- Class 1 misdemeanor (§ 1-8)
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate offense
Summary
Scottsdale's Code of Ordinances § 4-17(c) makes it unlawful to knowingly keep or harbor any animal or fowl whose frequent or habitual howling, yelping, barking or crowing annoys or disturbs a neighborhood, or even just two people, one of whom can be a police officer or animal control officer. The rule covers all animals, not only dogs, and needs no minimum number of complaining neighbors beyond that pair.
(c)No person shall knowingly keep or harbor any animal or fowl which by frequent or habitual howling, yelping, barking, crowing or the making of other noises shall annoy or disturb a neighborhood or any two (2) or more persons, one (1) of which may be a police officer or an animal control officer.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Section 4-17(c) sits inside Article II, Keeping of Domestic Animals, alongside the sanitary and setback rules for livestock and pigsties in the same section. Adopted under Code 1972 § 4-203 and amended by Ordinance No. 2479 on August 31, 1992, it prohibits knowingly keeping or harboring any animal or fowl which by frequent or habitual howling, yelping, barking, crowing or the making of other noises annoys or disturbs a neighborhood or any two persons, one of which may be a police officer or an animal control officer.
Because the standard is frequent or habitual rather than a single incident, a one-time bark does not trigger the ordinance, but a pattern that regularly disturbs even one neighbor plus a responding officer satisfies the two-person threshold spelled out in the text. The provision applies citywide to any animal or fowl the owner knowingly keeps or harbors, not just to dogs, so a rooster, goat or other noisy animal is equally covered. Chapter 4 sets no dedicated fine for this subsection, so enforcement runs through the citywide default penalty structure in § 1-8, and an officer responding to a noise complaint can personally document the disturbance to satisfy the two-persons element without needing a separate civilian witness to sign a complaint.
Violations & Fines
A § 4-17(c) violation defaults to the general penalty in § 1-8: a Class 1 misdemeanor, punished as such under state law, with each day the disturbance continues treated as a separate offense. The city can also pursue the underlying condition as a public nuisance and abate it. Because an animal control officer or police officer can count as one of the two disturbed persons, a single officer's observation can support enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does one neighbor's complaint about my dog barking violate the ordinance?
Does the barking ordinance only apply to dogs?
What is the penalty for a barking-dog violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scottsdale
Compare Scottsdale to another location·View the Arizona noise ordinances overview
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Barking Dogs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle barking dogs.