Boulder County, CO Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Boulder County, CO, 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
- Animal sound
- Exempt from noise ordinance under Sec. 1.01.060(I)
- Residential limit, other sources
- 55 dB(A) day, 50 dB(A) night
- Persistent barking standard
- 20+ cumulative minutes per hour
- First step
- Verbal or written warning, one week to fix
- Noise ordinance fine, non-animal
- $30 first offense, up to $300
- Ordinance 92-28 adopted
- January 14, 1992
Summary
Boulder County's decibel-based noise ordinance, No. 92-28, caps residential sound at 55 dB(A) by day and 50 dB(A) at night under Section 1.01.050(C), but Section 1.01.060(I) expressly excepts "the sound made by animals" from that limit and from the general rules in Sections 1.01.030, 1.01.040 and 1.01.050. Barking is policed separately, under the county's Animal Control Ordinance.
The provisions of Sections 1.01.030, 1.01.040 and 1.01.050 of this ordinance shall not apply to: ... I. The sound made by animals. ... Sound from a non-vehicular source located in a residential area, shall not exceed the following limits: 7:00 a.m.-7 p.m. of the same day: 55 dB(A); 7:00 p.m.-7 a.m. of the following day: 50 dB(A).
Full Breakdown
Ordinance No. , or 50 dB(A) overnight, and any periodic, impulsive or shrill noise is unlawful at five decibels below those thresholds. 01 no matter how loud the dog gets. The county instead regulates persistent barking through its separate Animal Control Ordinance No. 2022-8, Section 5, which defines unlawful barking as loud, persistent noise lasting twenty or more cumulative minutes in any one-hour period, whether the dog is on or off the owner's property, and allows a defense if the dog was provoked by a person or an unconfined animal.
Before any citation issues, the Animal Control Section must give the owner a verbal or written warning and one week to correct the problem; only a second substantiated complaint, or one from a household within a quarter mile, moves the case to a Penalty Assessment Notice or Summons and Complaint. 060(I) took animal noise out of the ordinance's reach from the start.
Violations & Fines
A barking complaint under Chapter 1.01 goes nowhere: Section 1.01.060(I) bars any citation for animal sound under the noise ordinance. Instead, the Animal Control Section issues a verbal or written warning first, giving the owner one week to quiet the dog. Only if the barking persists or recurs, backed by two complainants from different households or one within a quarter mile, does enforcement move to a Penalty Assessment Notice under the Animal Control Ordinance, not the noise code's $30-to-$300 fine ladder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Boulder County fine me for my dog barking under the noise ordinance?
How long does a dog have to bark before it's illegal in unincorporated Boulder County?
What happens the first time someone reports my dog for barking?
What's the noise limit for other sounds, like parties or equipment, in Boulder County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boulder County
Compare Boulder County to another location·View the Colorado noise ordinances overview
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