At a glance

Who handles it
311, which passes it to Dallas Animal Services (DAS).
The rule
Barking near a home is unreasonable if it goes on for more than 15 minutes in a row, or is louder than the residential sound limit.
How to report
Contact 311 with the location, the date and time, and any other details.
What happens first
DAS contacts the owner and you. The owner is mailed a notice, with a copy to you.
If it carries on
An outside complaint with the prosecutor, with a recording of at least 15 minutes of barking in a row.

The rule

Section 7-7.4 of the Dallas City Code makes it an offence to knowingly own an animal that barks or makes other unreasonable noise near a private residence. The noise counts as unreasonable if it:

  • continues for more than 15 consecutive minutes, or
  • is louder than the sound level allowed in a residential district under the Dallas Development Code.

Before you report

  • Talk to the owner, or leave a note. The barking dog letter generator writes a friendly one.
  • Note when it happens. The 15 minute mark is what counts, so write down when each long bout starts and stops. The printable bark diary has a column for each.

How to report it

For a dog that barks for a long time, Dallas Animal Services says to contact 311 and give the call taker as much as you can:

  • the location of the dog,
  • the date and time,
  • any other details you have.

DAS contacts the owner and you, as long as 311 has that information. Under the code, a disturbance complaint includes your name and address, where the noise is, the type of animal and the times it happens.

What happens next

The code says the director of Animal Services mails the owner a notice that a complaint has been received, and mails you a copy.

If the owner keeps letting the dog cause a disturbance after that notice, there are two routes:

  • you can file a written complaint with the city attorney, or
  • Animal Services can issue the owner a citation.

Filing an outside complaint

DAS calls your written complaint an outside complaint, filed with the prosecutor’s office using the Outside Complaint Form. Its condition is specific: the dog has to be recorded barking for 15 minutes or more without stopping.

Fines

Under section 7-8.1, the minimum fine for a first conviction is $50. It doubles for a second conviction for the same offence within 24 months, and triples for a third or later one in that time. Each day the violation goes on is a separate offence.

Keep a record

Left near a shared wall or window, DogQuiet logs each bark it hears with the time, how long it lasted and a short clip, and makes a PDF report. Its clips are short, so they are not the 15 minute recording an outside complaint needs, but the log shows when the long bouts tend to happen, so you know when to record. It is an approximate record, not proof: it can miss a bark or log another sound.

Other US cities

Other countries: England and Wales, Scotland, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, New South Wales, Victoria, Brisbane. The general steps, the evidence officials ask for and when to call the police are in how to report a barking dog.

Sources

Official pages this guide is based on, all read in October 2026:

  1. Dallas Animal Services. Barking Dogs. dallascityhall.com/departments/dallas-animal-services/Pages/Barking-Dogs.aspx
  2. City of Dallas. Outside Complaint Form (PDF). dallascityhall.com/departments/dallas-animal-services/DCH%20Documents/Outside%20Complaint%20Form.pdf
  3. Dallas City Code. Sec. 7-7.4 Disturbance by animals. codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/dallas/latest/dallas_tx/0-0-0-136628
  4. Dallas City Code. Sec. 7-8.1 Violations; criminal and civil penalties. codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/dallas/latest/dallas_tx/0-0-0-136657