Renfrewshire Council

An officer will investigate your complaint and, where noise is caused by antisocial behaviour and is found to exceed permitted levels, the perpetrator may be issued with a warning notice under the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004.

Failure to comply with a warning notice may result in a £100 fixed penalty notice being issued. In certain circumstances or times outside our noise service times, the police can also deal with noise complaints.

You can call the Noise Enforcement Team on 07768 988186.

The service is available:

• Mon - Thurs 8.45am to 4.45pm
• Fri 8.45am - 3.55pm
• Outwith these hours, please call Police Scotland on 101

Excessive dog barking

Telling the owner

It is not required before taking legal action as detailed below but, If you think it is appropriate, you could informally speak to the dog owner about the issue. They may not know there is a barking problem as it may only happen at certain times, for example, if the owner is out.

Relevant legislation

The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (under Section 49) allows any person affected by dog barking to take private action.

Any individual affected by dog barking can make an application to the Justice of the Peace (JP) Court for an order to be made.

The application must be made by the individual affected and not by the Local Authority.

If the Court determines that the dog is causing annoyance, it may make an order requiring its owner to take action to prevent the annoyance from continuing.

In terms of this legislation the Court cannot order destruction of the dog.

How to apply for an Order

Download application form on Scottish Courts website

Keeping a record of the issue could help if you proceed with civil legal action. Useful details include:

• When it happens
• How long it goes on for
• What type of noise it is
• How this causes annoyance
• Anything else you feel is relevant

After an application is made

If you proceed, you will be expected to appear in Court on the day of the hearing, together with any witness you may have. 

Alternatively, you could hire a solicitor to act on your behalf, although legal representation is not required. 

The Court will also seek information from the dog owner.

There may be a fee for making an application.

Burglar alarms

Complaints are regularly received about noise from burglar alarms. Let the council and police know who holds a key for your alarm system. 

This can be done by filling out a notification form (found in related media section of this page) and sending completed copies to environmental services and Police Scotland. This will allow us to contact the key holder and have the alarm checked.

Industrial and commercial noise

If you are disturbed by noise from any other source such as construction sites, pubs and clubs or mobile food outlets, make a complaint to Renfrewshire Council's Communities, Housing and Planning Services during normal office hours.

Your complaint will be investigated and where necessary, action will be taken against those causing the noise disturbance.

The noise enforcement service is part of the Renfrewshire antisocial behaviour strategy delivered by Renfrewshire Council, Police Scotland and other community partners.