"Fined 140,000 KRW for Dog Barking at Night"...Panama Municipality Engulfed in Regulatory Controversy

Administrative Order "Fines for Exceeding 50 Decibels"
Citizens Protest... "Unreasonable Excessive Regulation"

A local government in Panama has announced an administrative order regulating noise from pets. However, citizens have protested against the excessive regulation, condemning the mayor and sparking controversy.

On the 22nd (local time), the Panama government gazette reported that Stephanie Dayan Pe?alba Arayhan City (市) Mayor recently issued an administrative order bearing the mayor's signature aimed at preventing pet noise inside buildings and homes, as well as harmful acts against public officials. Among these, Administrative Order No. 8 (Article 54) states that "if an animal makes loud noises in residential areas from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next day, the owner of the animal may be fined 100 Panama Balboas (approximately 140,000 KRW)."

The standard for judging loud noise is defined as "exceeding 50 decibels." Authorities explained, "50 decibels is similar to the maximum level allowed during nighttime protests," adding, "This regulation was necessary to prevent pet dogs from disturbing neighbors more loudly than protests." They further emphasized, "The mayor must not only protect citizens' lives, honor, and property but also set mandatory rules to ensure order within the community to the greatest extent possible."

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Additionally, the administrative order includes fines ranging from $1,500 to $3,000 for those who behave rudely toward public officials, and fines of $50 to $100 for acts such as spitting or chewing gum in public places. Other fines include ▲parking violations ($1,500) ▲unauthorized alcohol sales ($2,500 to $5,000) ▲illegal dumping ($100 to $500), totaling 101 categories of fines to supplement or newly establish regulations.

However, the local daily La Prensa Panama reported that residents have criticized the mayor over the pet noise regulation. Panama animal protection group ‘Spay Panama’ stated in a press release, "Barking is a natural form of communication expressing fear, boredom, or loneliness," and argued, "Instead of restricting this, it is appropriate to focus on factors affecting pet behavior."

Panama's largest animal protection organization, the Community for the Protection of Animals (CPA), criticized the regulation in a statement as "neither reasonable nor acceptable." The group said, "It is incomprehensible to assume that barking dogs can be regulated by law," adding, "Unless dogs are muzzled for 13 hours, compliance cannot be guaranteed, which could lead to animal abuse."

Ultimately, Mayor Pe?alba issued an apology, stating, "We will revise the relevant wording to specify that fines will be imposed on owners only if animals make 'excessive' noise or are neglected." Nevertheless, as legal punishment possibilities for abuse of power were raised mainly by opposition parties, he responded on his X (formerly Twitter) the day before, saying, "They are attacking me because they feel they are losing control over us and their power is being taken away."