Canton, OH Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Canton's barking-dog ordinance, Codified Ordinances Section 505.05, was adopted by Ordinance 351-73 and amended by Ordinance 251-81 to raise the penalty. It targets any dog kept or harbored within the municipality whose frequent and habitual barking, howling or yelping creates unreasonably loud and disturbing noise of a character, intensity and duration that disturbs the peace, quiet and good order of the city, a broader nuisance-noise standard than a fixed decibel limit. The ordinance defines harboring expansively: a person who allows a dog to habitually remain, be lodged or fed within any dwelling, building, yard or enclosure that person occupies or owns is treated as harboring the dog, so landlords, tenants and caretakers can all be liable, not just the titled owner.

Enforcement falls to the Canton Police Department and the City Nuisance Inspector designated under Section 505.19, who can act on a neighbor's complaint since the standard turns on frequency, duration and disturbance to the neighborhood rather than a measured sound level. The section works alongside Section 505.04's broader nuisance-conditions ban on offensive odors and unsanitary animal-keeping conditions, giving Canton two overlapping tools against problem animal owners.