Dog Noise in Our Community
On July 6, 2021, Alexandria’s City Council updated City Ordinance Section 5-7-42 regarding dog noises, dog urination, female dogs in season and dogs on playgrounds and school grounds. This amended ordinance will take effect on August 5, 2021.
Why should I care about barking dogs?
Dog Noise Ordinance
Sec. 5-7-42 – Female dogs in season; allowing dog to urinate, etc.; noisy dogs; dogs prohibited on posted playground areas and on school grounds.
The following conduct is declared a nuisance and is prohibited. It shall be unlawful for the owner or custodian of a dog to
- Fail to keep the female dog confined during the entire time the dog is in season in a building or secure enclosure in such a manner that the female dog cannot come into contact with a male dog except for planned breeding.
- Knowingly or willfully allow the dog to urinate or defecate on the private property of other persons without their consent or that of the authorized agent of the one having control of the premises.
- Knowingly or willfully allow the dog to urinate or defecate on public property; provided, that urination by a dog on curbs of streets and in alleys, streets or areas designated and posted as dog exercise areas in accordance with section 6-1-2.2 shall not constitute a violation of this section; and provided further, that defecation by a dog on public property out of doors shall not constitute a violation of this section if the owner of the dog immediately removes the material defecated and disposes of it in a manner not inconsistent with the provisions of this section.
- Permit the dog to bark, howl, bay, or make any such other sound:
- Between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. that is plainly audible in any other person’s residential dwelling with the doors and windows closed and the source of the sound generation is discernible regardless of whether such doors or windows are closed; OR
- Between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. when the sound is plainly audible and discernible across real property boundaries or through partitions common to residential dwellings and such sound can be heard for more than five consecutive or non-consecutive minutes in any ten-minute period of time. Sounds that can be heard for less than five consecutive or non-consecutive minutes in any ten-minute period shall not be subject to this Section.
- The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any dog that at the time of the sound or sound generation (1) was responding to pain or injury or was protecting itself, its kennel, its offspring, or a person from an actual threat, (2) is a police dog that is engaged in the performance of its duties, or (3) is part of a bona fide agricultural operation.
- Permit the dog, except a seeing-eye, service or hearing dog, to go upon any public property posted by the city manager as a playground area, or upon the grounds of any public school.
Reporting Dog Noises
From the AWLA’s Animal Services team:
Barking dogs can certainly be a nuisance for most people. Alexandria’s Animal Services team is happy to have a nuisance barking ordinance that sets clear, quantitative measures to help define this type of nuisance complaint. Our enforcement efforts with regards to this updated ordinance will be focused on education and ensuring that no pet or pet owner is in need of assistance, while at the same time helping to resolve the issue for the reporting parties. Our team of trained and dedicated Animal Services Officers also understand that sometimes a barking dog could be a call for assistance, which is why we feel that responding to and investigating complaints of barking dogs is important and would encourage people to report these types of issues so they can be addressed quickly.
To report instances of dog noise in the City of Alexandria, please call the Alexandria Police Non-Emergency Hotline at 703.746.4444.
Why should I care about barking dogs?
Dogs may bark for a lot of reasons, and oftentimes, those barks, bays and howls can tell us something. A dog might be barking because he has been left out in weather that is too hot or too cold, and he needs to be let inside. She might be barking because a person in the home is trapped or injured, and she is trying to garner attention. A dog may bark at something he deems suspicious, which might be a mail delivery person but might also be someone trying to break into his house. And yes, sometimes, dogs bark because they are bored.
Since we don’t know why a dog in your neighborhood might be barking, we encourage you to contact us so we can help determine the situation. If that barking can help a person or animal in need, we want to make sure we are there to assist.
If your dog is barking because he or she is bored, READ OUR TIPS on how to keep them mentally and physically engaged to reduce their desire to bark.