At a glance

Who handles it
311, then an officer from Toronto Animal Services.
The rule
No persistent animal noise at any time: 10 minutes without a break, or 10 minutes in total within an hour.
How to report
Call 311 or submit a service request. You need the owner’s address.
Your details
Not shared with the owner.
Fine
$500, the set fine for persistent animal noise.

The rule

Section 591-2.2 of Toronto’s Noise Bylaw says no one may cause or permit persistent noise, “including barking, calling or whining”, from an animal. The bylaw defines persistent noise as noise heard for 10 minutes or more without a break, or on and off for a total of 10 minutes within an hour.

There are no quiet hours for this one. The City’s noise page says persistent and frequent animal noise is not allowed at any time.

Before you report

The City asks residents to show a reasonable degree of tolerance, since barking is common in a busy city, and to consider speaking with the owner first.

  • Talk, or write. The barking dog letter generator writes a friendly note.
  • Try mediation. The City’s noise page points to community mediation through TNG Community Services. It is separate from bylaw enforcement and confidential.
  • Start a log. If it reaches court, you will need one. The printable bark diary has the right columns.

How to report it

  1. Call 311, or submit a service request online.
  2. Give the address where the dog lives. Without it, the request can’t go ahead.

Your name and other personal information are not shared with the owner.

What happens next

An officer from Toronto Animal Services is assigned. It can take up to five business days for the investigation to start. Then, according to the City:

  1. The officer contacts the owner to explain the Noise Bylaw.
  2. If the bylaw may have been broken, the officer may visit, send an advisory letter or issue a Notice of Violation.
  3. If the barking carries on, the officer may ask you to fill in a Noise Log of the dates and times you hear it. The court needs this to see that the noise is persistent and excessive.
  4. Based on the log, Toronto Animal Services may lay a charge, heard by a Justice of the Peace. You and any witnesses you list must attend court. If you can’t, the charges are withdrawn.

Fines

The City lists a set fine of $500 for causing or permitting persistent noise by an animal.

Keep a record

The Noise Log is the heart of a Toronto case, so start one early. Read how to keep a bark diary for what to write down.

A phone can help. 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. Use it to fill in your own log, not to replace it.

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. City of Toronto. Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 591, Noise. toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/1184_591.pdf
  2. City of Toronto. Noise (bylaw enforcement). toronto.ca/city-government/public-notices-bylaws/bylaw-enforcement/noise/
  3. City of Toronto. Animal Enforcement & Assistance: reporting a noisy animal. toronto.ca/home/311-toronto-at-your-service/find-service-information/article/?kb=kA06g000001cvV8CAI