Westminster, CO Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Westminster, 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
- Governing section
- W.M.C. § 6-7-7
- Fine on conviction
- Up to $500.00
- Warning required first
- Yes, within prior 12 months
- Witness rule
- 2 witnesses, different households
- Video alternative
- 5+ uninterrupted minutes
- Classification
- Civil infraction, also a public nuisance
Summary
Westminster makes it a civil infraction for an owner to let an animal disturb neighbors with unreasonably loud, persistent barking, howling, or yelping. A written warning must precede any citation, and a summons at trial needs two witnesses from different households or five minutes of corroborating video.
It shall be a civil infraction for any owner or custodian of any animal to allow the animal to disturb any person by barking, howling, yelping, or other audible sound that is unreasonably loud and persistent. In addition to being a violation of this section, the same is hereby declared to be a public nuisance that may be abated pursuant to the provisions specified in Chapter 4 of Title VIII of this Code. No person shall be charged with violating this section unless a written warning was issued by an Animal Management Officer or police officer within the 12 months preceding the first date alleged as a date of violation in the complaint. No summons shall be issued and no person shall be convicted at trial for violating this section unless two or more witnesses from different households testify to the unreasonably loud and persistent noise.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-7-7 of the Westminster Municipal Code targets chronic animal noise rather than a single bark. The ordinance requires an Animal Management Officer or police officer to issue a written warning first, delivered in person, posted on the property, or mailed first-class, and that warning is good for 12 months before a citation can follow for a repeat disturbance. The evidentiary bar at trial is unusually specific: prosecutors need two witnesses from different households who both testify to the unreasonably loud and persistent noise, and an Animal Management Officer or police officer can serve as one of those two witnesses.
If a complainant instead relies on video, the recording must run at least five uninterrupted minutes and stand in for the second witness. The disturbance is also declared a public nuisance abatable under Title VIII, Chapter 4, giving the City a separate civil path beyond the criminal citation. 00, the same cap Westminster applies across most Chapter 7 animal violations.
Violations & Fines
A first substantiated complaint draws only a written warning from Animal Management or police, not a citation. Any further violation within 12 months of that warning can be cited as a civil infraction, and conviction carries a fine up to $500.00. The City must still produce two witnesses from separate households, or one witness plus 5+ minutes of video, to convict at trial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited the first time my neighbor's dog barks in Westminster?
What proof does Westminster need to convict someone of a barking dog violation?
Is a barking complaint also treated as a public nuisance in Westminster?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Westminster
Compare Westminster to another location·View the Colorado noise ordinances overview
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Barking Dogs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Adams County handle barking dogs.