Burlington, WI Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 104-9, amended May 20, 2003 (Ord. No. 1722(2)), targets any animal, not just dogs, that habitually barks, cries, howls, yelps or otherwise makes noise materially disturbing or annoying another person; the section defines "habitually" to mean customarily, frequently and repeatedly, setting a pattern-of-conduct standard rather than a one-time-noise trigger. The provision reaches the person who "knowingly" keeps or harbors the noisy animal, so an owner unaware of the behavior is not automatically liable, though repeated complaints undercut that defense. Enforcement can start two ways: a member of the public can complain, or a police officer can personally observe a violation, and either path lets an officer issue a citation directly to the animal's owner or to whoever is keeping or harboring the animal, without a separate hearing before the citation issues.

The section sits in Chapter 104, Animals, rather than Chapter 219, Noise, so it is enforced as an animal-control matter through the Police Department alongside the Chapter's licensing and at-large rules, even though its underlying nuisance is a noise complaint. Because the standard turns on a pattern, not a single incident, officers document repeated complaints or repeat observations to establish that the noise is customary, frequent and repeated before citing under this section. Chapter 104 carries no numeric decibel threshold or time-of-day carve-out for barking dogs; the "materially disturbs or annoys" standard here is the entire legal test the City uses.