How to report a barking dog in New South Wales

What counts as a nuisance dog

The NSW Office of Local Government lists the ways a dog can be a nuisance under the Companion Animals Act 1998. One of them is a dog that makes persistent, excessive noise. There is no set number of minutes.

If a council has had several complaints, or sees a serious or ongoing problem, it may issue a nuisance order. The order requires the owner to stop the behaviour it describes.

Before you complain

• Talk to the owner. The NSW EPA notes that owners often haven’t realised and are happy to help. If talking is hard, the barking dog letter generator writes a friendly note.
• Know the mediation change. Since 1 July 2025, Community Justice Centres only mediate disputes referred by NSW courts or involving incorporated associations, so most neighbour disputes can no longer go there directly.
• Start a diary. Councils often ask for one. Use the printable bark diary.

How to complain to the council

Contact your local council. According to the NSW EPA, it may ask for evidence such as:

• written statements from neighbours explaining how the dog disturbs them;
• a diary of when the noise happens.

Ask your council what it needs before you start. The EPA notes there are standards for the level of proof needed before legal action can be taken.

What the council can do

1. Investigate. If the evidence warrants it, a council officer visits the property where the dog is kept.
2. Warn the owner. If the complaint is justified, the officer can tell the owner the council intends to issue a nuisance order. The owner has 7 days to object in writing.
3. Issue the order. The order says what must change about the dog’s behaviour. It lasts six months and can’t be appealed.

If the owner doesn’t comply, council officers can fine them $275. If it goes to the local court, the fine can be up to $880 for a first offence and $1,650 for each later one.

A council officer can also issue a prevention notice under section 96 of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997. It can direct the owner to stop the dog barking excessively, and to give it food, water, space and shelter. The owner has 21 days to appeal, and breaking the notice can bring an on-the-spot fine of $750 for an individual.

A noise abatement order from the local court

You can also act without the council and ask the local court for a noise abatement order. The EPA says to consider it only when everything else has failed.

• Your local court can tell you what evidence it needs, such as signed statements from at least two witnesses.
• The application fee is $83, rising each year with the consumer price index.
• The court may ask you to try mediation at a Community Justice Centre first.
• If you lose, you may have to pay the other side’s legal costs as well as your own.

If you are worried about the dog

If you think the dog is being mistreated, the NSW EPA says to contact an RSPCA inspector.

Keep a record

A phone can keep the log while you are busy or asleep. 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. It is an approximate record, not proof: it can miss a bark or log another sound. Keep your own diary too: read how to keep a bark diary.

Other places

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. NSW Office of Local Government. Nuisance pets. olg.nsw.gov.au/pets/nsw-pet-registry/pet-control/nuisance-pets
2. NSW EPA. Dealing with barking dogs. epa.nsw.gov.au/Your-environment/Noise/neighbourhood-noise/dealing-with-barking-dogs
3. NSW EPA. Seeking noise abatement orders. epa.nsw.gov.au/Your-environment/Noise/neighbourhood-noise/seeking-noise-abatement-orders
4. NSW Department of Communities and Justice. Community Justice Centres. dcj.nsw.gov.au/legal-and-justice/legal-assistance-and-representation/community-justice-centres.html