Tustin, CA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 4210(d) of the Tustin City Code sets out a graduated civil fine table for violations of the barking dog rules found in Subarticle 1, Article 2, Division 1, Title IV of the Codified Ordinances of Orange County, which Tustin enforces as its own animal noise standard. The fines rise with each citation in the same rolling twelve-month period: $250 for the first citation, $275 for the second, $303 for the third, $333 for the fourth, $366 for the fifth, and $403 for the sixth and any later citation.

If a citation is upheld at an administrative hearing and the fine is not paid by the deadline set at that hearing, or if payment otherwise remains outstanding fifteen days past its due date under Section 4-1-59.7 of the county code, an amount equal to the original fine is added as a late penalty, doubling what the owner owes. Continued nonpayment of the fine and late penalty converts the matter into a misdemeanor, exposing the dog owner to a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both, and a warrant can issue for the violator's arrest.

Because Tustin's animal control program runs through the adopted Orange County code, citations for a barking dog are issued and processed the same way other County Animal Care citations are, with the fine schedule itself specific to Tustin under this section.