You are here: Home >Barking Dogs and Other Noise Problems
	Barking Dogs and Other Noise Problems While barking is a natural form of canine communication, excessive barking can be a disturbance. There is an ordinance in Santa Cruz County that pertains to dogs and other animals disturbing the peace. To report a barking dog day or night, you can fill out our non-emergency complaint form that is available online, or contact Santa Cruz County Animal Services and provide the physical address where the dog is located. Santa Cruz County Animal Services responds to these complaints with a letter to the owner advising them that a complaint has been made, and provides educational materials on why dogs bark and actions the owner can take that might alleviate the barking. Please allow 33 days for the letter to be delivered and owners to make corrections before reporting a new complaint. In the event of a second or third complaint, if the 33 days has passed, we will send a second letter to the animal owner that gives them an additional 15 days to abate the nuisance. If after the end of the 15 day period the noise is still a problem, you and other households that have kept similar logs can cite the animal owner. County guidelines for public nuisance complaints state that there must be a minimum of two complaints from separate households. If you wish to pursue a citation, called a 3rd party citation or “citizen’s arrest” it must be signed by you in the presence of an Animal Services official. By filing a 3rd party citation, you agree to testify in court regarding the incident. The dog owners will also be required to appear in court and fines may be involved. If you do not wish to pursue a citation, and you are uncomfortable approaching the dog owner regarding the issue you can contact the Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz County and ask for their assistance. They can be reached at (831) 475-6117.

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