Animals that cause “frequent or long-continued noise” disturbing to “the comfort and repose of any person of ordinary sensibilities in the immediate vicinity” may earn their owners a fine of up to $500. Pet owners who fail to pick up pet waste when they are out walking their pet also violate the law.

Animal Care and Control cannot impound properly confined animals, but there is a process for dealing with noise and animal waste complaints.

Step 1: File a Complaint

Call 817-392-PAWS (7297) and provide the following information:

• address and description of animal
• time of incident
• other pertinent details

You will be advised to maintain a complaint log for 7 to 10 days beginning with the date that the complaint is filed. The information in the log must contain the date, times and duration of the noise nuisance.

Step 2: Pet Owner Notified

Once you file a complaint, the Fort Worth Animal Care and Control Division will send a notice to animal owner (generally within 24 hours) or arrangements are made for an officer to stop by if there are other complaints Owners are given 10 days from the date of the complaint to correct the problem/comply with the ordinance.

Step 3: Second Complaint/Affidavit

If the pet owner has not responded to the letter from Fort Worth Animal Care and Control and you have at least seven days of documented dates and times of barking or other noise, you have the right to file an affidavit with the city. The affidavit should include your complaint log and a list of the names and addresses of any persons who also observed the violation.

The body of the affidavit for an animal noise or animal waste nuisance must contain:

• The name of the owner and/or give an accurate description of the owner
• The address of the animal owner
• A description of the animal(s)
• For noise complaints, include the date(s) and times of the noise nuisance (for at least seven days) and how long the noise continues
• For animal waste complaints, must include the date and time of the incident
• All other details about the situation.

The Animal Care and Control Division will review the affidavit and, if it appears that an offense has occurred, the Division will issue a citation based on your notarized statement as a witness. You will be asked to appear in court to testify against the person who violated the law if the person requests a court hearing. The animal control officer who issued the citation may also be present but the officer cannot testify about the violation.

Contact

Animal Care and Control
4900 Martin St. | 817-392-PAWS (7297)