At a glance

Who handles it
The City of Vancouver, through an animal control officer.
The rule
Barking someone off the property can easily hear, that unreasonably disturbs their quiet, rest or comfort.
How to report
Van311 online, or call 3-1-1 (604-873-7000 from outside Vancouver).
Anonymous?
Anonymous reports are recorded but not investigated. Your details are kept private.
If it continues
A two-week barking log, which can go to the city prosecutor and then court.

The rule

Section 4.12 of Vancouver’s Animal Control By-law says a person who owns or occupies premises must not allow the sound of a barking or howling dog “that a person not on the same premises can easily hear and that disturbs or tends to disturb unreasonably the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of such person.” There is no set number of minutes.

This page is for Vancouver, British Columbia, not Vancouver, Washington.

Talk to the owner first

The City suggests telling the owner you’re concerned and giving them a chance to put it right, and mentioning that you will report it if the barking continues. If you’re not comfortable speaking to them, leave a note: the City says it can be anonymous. The barking dog letter generator writes one.

How to report it

Report it on Van311 or by calling 3-1-1 (604-873-7000 from outside Vancouver). Give:

  • your name, address and phone number,
  • the address and unit number of the barking dog,
  • a description of the dog, if you can,
  • the dates and times you hear the barking.

The City asks for your details so it can contact you, and keeps them private. Anonymous reports are recorded but not investigated.

What happens next

  1. An animal control officer is assigned. They contact you, then visit the owner to pass on the complaint, keeping your details private, and suggest ways to prevent the barking.
  2. If the barking continues, the officer asks you to log it for two weeks, and tells the owner it is being logged for possible legal action. The log, called a barking package, records the day, time and length of the barking and how it affects you.
  3. The officer reviews your barking package and takes it to the city prosecutor to approve charges.
  4. If charges are approved, a court date is set. You attend to confirm what you recorded, and the owner will learn who you are. The judge can fine the owner and order them to stop the barking.

Keep a record

The barking package is the evidence, so the details matter. 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 alongside the City’s log, not instead of it.

Other Canadian cities

Other countries: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle, Denver, England and Wales, Scotland, 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:

  1. City of Vancouver. Report a barking dog. vancouver.ca/home-property-development/dogs.aspx
  2. City of Vancouver. Animal Control By-law No. 9150 (consolidated). bylaws.vancouver.ca/9150c.pdf