Bellevue, NE Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Bellevue Code of Ordinances § 6-20 makes it unlawful to own, keep or harbor a dog or cat whose constant and continuous barking, whining, howling, meowing or yowling in an excessive, continuous or untimely fashion annoys or disturbs the surrounding neighborhood. A dog or cat that does so may be declared a public nuisance and impounded by the licensing authority, and the owner must pay a $5.00 per day kennel fee plus a $30.00 impoundment fee to reclaim the animal under § 6-20(C).

Section 6-21, Barking Dog Notices, sets out how the city's animal control authority handles complaints. If a complainant will not give a name, the authority mails a form letter to the address of the barking dog advising the resident of the complaint and how to avoid further action; that letter goes out on the first two complaints, and an animal control officer is sent to investigate only on the third or a later complaint. When a complainant does give a name on either of the first two complaints, an officer is dispatched immediately, and the authority always responds when the Bellevue Police Department itself reports a barking dog call.

Enforcement runs through § 6-9. Any police officer, code enforcement officer or humane officer may issue a citation, and a person cited for a § 6-20 violation may plead guilty by mail or electronically and pay a $25.00 fine plus court costs without a court appearance. Absent that option, a general chapter 6 misdemeanor carries a fine of $25.00 to $300.00 per offense, with an added amount for each day a violation is not corrected.