At a glance
- Who handles it
- Seattle Animal Shelter (animal control).
- What counts
- Continual, repeated and excessive noise from a neighbour’s animal. Occasional barking is something residents are expected to tolerate.
- How to report
- The animal noise service request form, or by phone.
- What happens first
- A letter to the owner. Allow 14 days for it to arrive and for the owner to fix it.
- Fine
- $109 for permitting an animal to violate the noise ordinance.
What counts as too much
The Seattle Animal Shelter is frank about city life: traffic, children, lawn mowers and occasional barking are noises residents are expected to tolerate. What it acts on is continual, repeated and excessive noise from a neighbour’s animal that may break the municipal code. There is no set number of minutes.
The complaint process
- Talk to the owner. The shelter finds many owners simply don’t know, and noise disputes are often settled faster between neighbours. Suggest what might help and give them reasonable time. The barking dog letter generator writes a friendly note.
- First complaint. If the noise carries on, file it with the service request form or by phone. The shelter writes to the owner, explaining that a complaint was made and what the code says. Allow 14 days for the letter to arrive and the owner to fix it.
- Second complaint. If it continues after 14 days, call to file a second complaint. An officer contacts the owner with suggestions, issues a “verbal order to cease the noise”, and tells you it has been done.
- Declaration form. You then get a declaration form to fill in and return for any further complaint. It is your written statement and the basis for any legal action the City takes, so you must be willing to testify in court and confirm that it is true.
The online form runs all day, every day, and lets you track your complaint. The shelter says these steps are its guide, not something the municipal code requires.
The 90-day cycle
Noise complaints are generally handled on a 90-day cycle. If 90 days pass between complaints, the process starts again with a letter. A log of dates and times keeps your complaints close together and your declaration accurate: the printable bark diary works for that.
Fine
The shelter’s fees and fines list $109 for permitting an animal to violate the noise ordinance (Seattle Municipal Code 9.25.084(D-2)).
If a dog is in danger
The online form isn’t for urgent cases. For animal abuse, neglect or cruelty, call the shelter’s call center on 206-386-7387.
Keep a record
A phone can keep the log while you sleep. 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 notes for the declaration.
Other US cities
- New York CityNew York311, then the DEP
- Los AngelesCaliforniaLA Animal Services, in writing
- ChicagoIllinois311, then Animal Care and Control
- PhoenixArizonaThe City Prosecutor, by petition
- DallasTexas311, then Dallas Animal Services
- PhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaACCT Philly, the city’s animal control
- DenverColorado311, then Denver Animal Protection
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 November 2026:
- Seattle Animal Shelter. Animal Control: unreasonable animal noise. seattle.gov/animal-shelter/animal-control
- Seattle Animal Shelter. Fees & Fines. seattle.gov/animal-shelter/animal-control/fees-and-fines