City of Newcastle - Barking Dog

Barking Dog

If a barking dog is disturbing the peace in your neighbourhood, there are several steps you can take to approach the issue.

Last updated on: 26 March 2026

In this article

What constitutes nuisance behaviour?
How we can help
What you need to do
Raise a request
Next steps
How nuisance dog complaints are handled
Time frames
Helpful links

Barking dogs can sometimes disturb the peace and, if left unaddressed, may lead to tension or disputes between neighbours.

What constitutes nuisance behaviour?

Nuisance behaviour is defined as making noise, by barking or otherwise, that persistently occurs or continues to such an extent that it unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort, or convenience of any person in other premises.

How we can help

We can conduct investigations into nuisance dog complaints.

To initiate enforcement action, we require specific and extensive evidence.

What you need to do

If you are experiencing issues with a barking dog, it is recommended you first:

Raise the issue directly with the dog owner

Consider the following helpful pointers:

Specific details matter - let your neighbour know if their dog is barking at specific times or triggers.
Owners may be unaware - if the barking is occurring whilst they are away, they may not realise there is an issue.
Allow time for resolution - give them a chance to address the problem.
Offer guidance -they may not know how to best resolve the problem, so if needed, provide information or helpful resources.

Keep a diary

Keep a log of the actions you've taken to address the issue and the frequency/length of time that the dog barks.

Raise a request

If the issue persists after conducting the above steps, submit a request outlining the nature of the nuisance dog complaint.

Include a log of actions taken and details of the barking activity, as noted above.

Report an Issue

Next steps

You'll receive an acknowledgement with your request and tracking numbers, allowing you to monitor its progress.
Our team will review the information and evidence you've provided.
Once the request has been actioned and the investigation completed, you'll receive a notification of the outcome

You can find more detail on how we assess and investigate complaints in the section below.

How nuisance dog complaints are handled

City of Newcastle follows a structured, multi-step process when investigating barking dog complaints to ensure fairness and compliance with legislation.

Our investigation process

Step 1 - Review the information provided

Step 2 - Letter to the dog owner

Step 3 - Evidence forms and dog noise diaries

If the problem is not resolved, we will send an evidence form and noise diary to eight or more neighbouring residences.

This helps us to gather information about:

where the dog resides
the time and frequency of barking
the impact to neighbours.

The documents also assist us in determining what actions we can take, and can be used in legal proceedings.

The noise diary is to be completed over a 14 day period and returned to us within 21 days. The evidence form and noise diaries must be signed by the person/s completing the forms.

We will review all evidence forms and noise diaries. If the evidence returned does not demonstrate a frequent or lengthy impact to the community or there are less than three complainants, we are unable to proceed with further action.

Step 4 - Statements from each complainant

Step 5 - Enforcement action

Step 6 - Further actions

Important to consider

We require strong evidence to support and verify an allegation, and to justify any legal/enforcement action.
We must follow specific rules for gathering evidence and starting legal proceedings.
Legal actions can be contested and appealed by the person the legal process is against.
A person's identity may be disclosed if our decisions are defended before a Court or if a request is made under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009.
Nuisance Dog Orders expire after six months, and Noise Abatement Directions expire after 28 days.

Time frames

We will carefully review all the information and evidence you provide with your request. Our team will begin the investigation and take the necessary next steps within a few days.

The duration of the investigation can vary based on the evidence provided and any actions required by City of Newcastle.

Helpful links

Dealing with barking dogs - NSW EPA

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