Tigard, OR Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Tigard, OR, 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
- Governing provision
- Section 6.02.440.B.5, animal or bird noise
- Night limit at a home
- 40 dB, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Day limit at a home
- 50 dB, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Overnight test
- Plainly audible inside a neighboring unit
- Roosters
- Over three months old are prohibited, Section 6.02.630.B
- Penalty
- Class 1 civil infraction, up to $250 per day
Summary
In the City of Tigard, Oregon, keeping an animal or bird that creates noise above the Section 6.02.430 limits is a violation of the Tigard Municipal Code. At a home the limits are 40 dB overnight and 50 dB by day, and sound plainly audible inside a neighboring unit from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. is unlawful.
It is unlawful for any person to produce, or permit to be produced, sounds which: A. When measured at the boundary of or within a property on which a noise-sensitive unit, not the source of the sound, is located, exceeds: 1. 40 dB at any time between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. the following day, or 2. 50 dB at any time between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. the same day; or ... C. Is unnecessarily loud within a noise-sensitive unit which is not the source of the sound; ... B. Except as provided in Section 6.02.450, the following acts are violations of this article if they exceed the noise limits specified in Section 6.02.430: ... 5. Keeping of any animal or bird that creates noise in excess of the levels specified in Section 6.02.430;
Full Breakdown
The Tigard Municipal Code handles animal noise inside its general noise article, Article V of Chapter 6.02. Section 6.02.440.B.5 makes the keeping of any animal or bird that creates noise in excess of the levels in Section 6.02.430 a violation. The text says animal or bird and does not single out dogs, so a barking dog, a crowing rooster or a screeching parrot is judged by the same limits.
Those limits, measured at the boundary of or within a property that holds a noise-sensitive unit, are 40 dB between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and 50 dB between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. A noise-sensitive unit is a building or portion of a building containing a residence, place of overnight accommodation, church, day care center, hospital, school or nursing care center. Section 6.02.430 also bars sound that is plainly audible inside such a unit overnight and sound that is unnecessarily loud inside it, which Section 6.01.020 defines as sound that interferes with normal spoken communication or disturbs sleep.
A meter is optional. Section 6.02.420 states that sound measurements are not required for enforcement, and readings, if taken, must use a Type I or Type II sound level meter in the hands of a trained operator. None of the exceptions in Section 6.02.450 covers animal noise, so the limits apply at every hour. Roosters are handled again in the livestock article: Section 6.02.630.B prohibits roosters over three months old in the City of Tigard.
Violations & Fines
Animal noise over the limits is a Class 1 civil infraction under Section 6.01.040.A, with a civil penalty or administrative fee of up to $250 per day under Section 1.16.640.A.1, and each day is a separate infraction. The two-witness rule in Section 6.02.470.A, requiring persons from different households, names subsections B, C and E of Section 6.02.430, not the decibel limits in A and D. The city can seek a voluntary compliance agreement under Section 1.16.115 on one complaint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a specific barking dog ordinance in Tigard?
Do neighbors need a decibel meter to complain about a barking dog?
How many witnesses does the city need for an animal noise citation?
Are roosters allowed in the City of Tigard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tigard
Compare Tigard to another location·View the Oregon noise ordinances overview
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Barking Dogs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Washington County handle barking dogs.