What Can I Do If My Neighbor's Dog Barks All The Time?

It can be really annoying to have your relaxing evening interrupted by hysterical barking from your neighbor’s yard. Having a loud dog next door is one of the most common problems people have with their neighbors. Your neighbor is also likely to be touchy about their dog as they consider the dog part of their family. So how do you approach your neighbor to resolve the issue, and what do you do if your neighbor won’t fix the problem?

Virginia allows local towns, cities and counties to make rules about how dogs are supposed to be handled. There are a lot of different restrictions about when dogs are allowed outside, how to handle a loud dog, and other registration and vaccination requirements. Each city or town is different, so you want to make sure that you become familiar with your local rules on dog ownership.

For example, the City of Winchester as a lot of rules about dogs that you can read up on if you live in Winchester. These rules change often, so make sure to check back at that link occasionally for updates. When it comes to loud dogs, Winchester has the following rules:

a) If a dog is loud and frequently or habitually barking or howling and causes a disturbance to the neighborhood, it can be unlawful to keep that dog.

b) Any person annoyed by such loud, frequent, or habitual barking or howling may enter his own complaint by summons returnable to the general district court.

In other words, if your neighbor has an annoying dog you absolutely have the right to pursue a warrant against the dog’s owner and the General District Court has the power to impose various sanctions on the dog owner ranging from a fine to jail time depending on the situation.

Court, however, is the nuclear option. The best way to handle a loud dog is to first talk it out with your neighbor. You might be able to come to an understanding with your neighbor about the situation and come up with an agreement that works for you both. It never hurts to try and talk it out.

Regardless, if your neighbor’s dog is loud and the neighbor won’t fix it, consider talking to an attorney to pursue court action to make it stop so you can get back to enjoying your relaxing weekend.