Valencia County, NM Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Valencia County, NM, 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
- Nuisance trigger
- habitual or continuous barking/howling
- Complaint method
- in person or by phone to shelter
- Underage sale fine
- $25 per animal
- General penalty
- up to $300 fine, up to 90 days jail
- Governing section
- § 90.066(D)
Summary
A dog or cat that habitually or continuously barks, howls, or otherwise disturbs the peace of county residents is declared an animal nuisance under Code § 90.066(D). Neighbors file a nuisance complaint in person or by phone with the animal shelter, naming the animal's owner and address, and violations carry the chapter's general misdemeanor penalty.
(C) An owner shall not sell, barter, exchange or give away any dog or cat before the age of 6 weeks. Any person who does so shall be fined $25 per animal. The only exception to this is in the case of hand-fed orphans. ... (D) Any animal that habitually or continuously barks, howls or otherwise disturbs the peace of the inhabitants of the county, or are kept or maintained in such a manner or in such numbers as to disturb by noxious or offensive odors or otherwise endanger the health and welfare of the inhabitants of the county are declared to be an animal nuisance.
Full Breakdown
066, titled NUISANCE, sits in the Animal Control chapter's PROHIBITIVE ACTIVITIES subchapter alongside the running-at-large rule. Division (D) declares any animal that habitually or continuously barks, howls, or otherwise disturbs the peace of the county's inhabitants an animal nuisance, and it extends the same nuisance label to an animal kept or maintained in numbers or a manner that creates noxious or offensive odors or otherwise endangers residents' health and welfare. To start a complaint, division (A) requires a resident to file it in person at the animal shelter or by calling and speaking with an animal control officer, and the complaint must include the complainant's name and, if known, the name and address of the person allowing the nuisance to continue.
The same section separately addresses breeding: division (B) bars advertising a dog or cat for sale, barter, exchange, or gift within the county unless the ad legibly displays the seller's litter fee or permitted-premises permit number, which the owner must also give any prospective recipient who asks. Division (C) bars selling, bartering, exchanging, or giving away any dog or cat before it turns 6 weeks old, carrying its own $25-per-animal fine, with an exception only for hand-fed orphans. 999.
Violations & Fines
A confirmed barking or nuisance-odor violation under § 90.066(D) is enforced through the Animal Control chapter's general penalty, § 90.999: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $300, up to 90 days in jail, or both. Selling or giving away a dog or cat under 6 weeks old under the same section carries its own separate $25-per-animal fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a habitually barking dog a violation in Valencia County?
How do I report a neighbor's barking dog to the county?
What penalty applies to a sustained barking dog complaint?
Can I give away a litter of puppies for free in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Valencia County
Compare Valencia County to another location·View the New Mexico noise ordinances overview
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