Burke County, NC Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Burke County, NC, also called nuisance dog, dog noise, or excessive barking ordinances, define when a barking dog becomes a code violation and how complaints are handled.
Key Facts
- Nuisance threshold
- 3+ barks/minute for 15+ minutes
- First offense
- Warning only, once per year
- Repeat fines
- $50 to $300 per incident
- Late fee
- $50/day if uncorrected past 10 days
- Enforcer
- Burke County Animal Services
Summary
Burke County Animal Services can cite a dog owner in unincorporated Burke County whose dog habitually or repeatedly barks: three or more barks a minute for at least 15 minutes counts as a public nuisance under Code § 6-114(a)(1). A first violation draws a warning; anything after that is a uniform citation with an escalating fine schedule under § 6-131.
Sec. 6-114. - Animals creating a nuisance.(a)The following acts or actions by an owner or possessor of an animal are hereby declared to be unlawful:(1)It shall be unlawful for any dog owner to keep a dog that habitually or repeatedly barks in such a manner or to such an extent that it is a public nuisance. The term "habitually or repeatedly" is defined as three or more times per minute for no less than a 15-minute period. ... (9)Owners of the animal may be issued one warning for an animal nuisance violation per calendar year. Any subsequent instances will be subject to a uniform citation and the applicable fees.
Full Breakdown
Section 6-114 of the Burke County Code lists animal nuisances that are unlawful in unincorporated Burke County, and the first is a barking dog: a dog that habitually or repeatedly barks in a manner or to an extent that is a public nuisance, with "habitually or repeatedly" defined as three or more barks per minute for no less than 15 minutes. The ordinance also covers unsanitary conditions, offensive odors, uncontrolled feces, and animals that chase or attack passersby, all under the same section. Owners get one warning per calendar year for a nuisance violation; any later incident in that year is handled as a uniform citation with the fees set by § 6-131.
Beyond the barking rule itself, § 6-114(b) gives property owners a separate tool: they can file a complaint form with the Animal Services center identifying a specific animal whose mere presence on their land is a nuisance. Animal Services delivers the complaint to the animal's owner by certified mail or hand delivery, and the owner then has 24 hours to keep that animal off the complainant's property; a repeat appearance after that window is a violation of the chapter. S. 00 per day until it is fixed.
Animal Services enforcement authority does not reach inside Morganton, Valdese, Drexel, Glen Alpine, Connelly Springs, Hildebran or Rutherford College unless that town's board formally asks the county to enforce chapter 6 within its limits.
Violations & Fines
First nuisance violation of § 6-114 draws only a warning per calendar year; every citation after that follows the § 6-131(a)(1) schedule: $50.00 for a second offense, $100.00 for a third, $200.00 for a fourth, and $300.00 per incident for any offense after the fourth, plus an added $50.00-a-day penalty if the violation is not corrected within ten days, collectible as a civil debt with court costs and attorney fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many warnings does Burke County give before a barking-dog citation?
What counts as a "nuisance" bark under the county code?
Does this apply inside Morganton or Valdese?
What happens if I keep getting cited for a barking dog?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Burke County
Compare Burke County to another location·View the North Carolina noise ordinances overview
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