Public Nuisance

Animal Care Services has a commitment to respond to and investigate complaints of Animal Nuisance as defined in Chapter 5 of the Municipal Code to include:

• Foul odor due to animals
• Excess number of animals
• Destruction of property other than that of the owner
• Prohibited animals
• Failure to follow animal sanitation standards
• Barking

Officers will investigate the nuisance behavior and educate owners on required action as well as issuing Notices of Violation for follow-up or citations as applicable. Some cases may be escalated to Permits Investigators or Cruelty Investigators based on severity of observed issue. The exact address of the owner of the animal must be provided for this type of investigation.

Due to the difficulty gathering sustained evidence to meet the burden of proof required for citing in Barking complaints, citizens may be asked to independently document the barking nuisance and file an affidavit with Municipal Court to obtain a determination from the court on whether it meets the standard of Nuisance Barking. The initial response for this service request type is 10 days.

To request this city service, you may submit the form below, use the City’s 311SA Mobile app or call 311 Customer Service at 3-1-1 or 210-207-6000. 311 is available seven days a week from 7am-7pm and on holidays from 8am-5pm.