West Sacramento, CA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

The rule sits in Chapter 6.16 of Title 6 (Animals) of the West Sacramento Municipal Code. Section 6.16.050 is a single sentence: no owner shall permit his or her animal, except a domestic cat, habitually to make a loud noise or act in such a manner as to constitute a public nuisance. The section prints no decibel level, no quiet hours and no minute count. The test is the two phrases in the text, habitually and public nuisance, so a dog that barks once at a delivery driver is not what the section describes, while a dog that makes loud noise as a routine, to the point of a public nuisance, is.

The duty falls on the owner. Section 6.12.080 defines owner as a person who possesses, has title to or an interest in, harbors, or has control, custody or possession of an animal. That definition reaches a person who harbors an animal, not only the person who holds title to it. The only exclusion is the domestic cat. Every other animal falls under the same words, so the section applies to dogs and to any other animal an owner keeps.

Geography is set by Section 6.04.040: the provisions of Title 6 apply to the entire incorporated territory of the city. The rule stops at the city limits of West Sacramento.

Administration is flexible by design. Section 6.08.010 lets the city council direct the city manager or a designated representative to administer the title in whatever manner is determined to be most efficient, including contracting with the county of Yolo for animal control administration and enforcement services. Section 6.12.040 defines the chief of the division of animal control as the person designated by the city manager, together with his or her duly authorized deputies.

A related standard applies to commercial dog operations. Section 6.12.070 defines a kennel as a place where five or more dogs at least four months of age are kept for commercial purposes, and Section 6.16.140 forbids maintaining a kennel so that it constitutes a public nuisance or so that it is detrimental to the peace, health or safety of persons in the immediate vicinity or in the city as a whole.