Clarksville, TN Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Clarksville, TN, 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
- Standard used
- disturbs comfort and repose of neighbor
- No meter reading required
- unlike § 10-303 decibel rule
- Repeat offense window
- every 30 minutes, § 10-306
- Warning required
- none, per § 10-307
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 10-2012-13, 12-12-12
Summary
Clarksville names frequent or long-continued barking, howling, or crying by a kept animal or bird as an example of an unreasonably loud noise banned citywide whenever it disturbs the comfort and repose of a neighbor, without needing a decibel reading.
(c)The following acts, among others, are declared to be unreasonably loud, unusual or unnecessary noises in violation of this section, as such violations would disturb, cause discomfort, or annoy a reasonable person of normal hearing sensitivity...(5)Animals and birds. The keeping of any animal or bird which, by frequent barking, howling, crying, singing or causing any other frequent or long-continued noise, disturbs the comfort and repose of any person in the vicinity.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 110 Update 2 | Zoning Ordinance: Supplement 6).
Full Breakdown
Section 10-304 makes it unlawful to produce, by human voice, machine, animal, or device, any unreasonably loud, unusual, or unnecessary noise that disturbs a neighborhood's peace or a reasonable person's comfort. ' Unlike the chapter's numeric decibel standard in section 10-303, this provision does not require a meter reading; officers instead weigh the eleven factors listed in subsection (b), including the noise's frequency, intensity, duration, proximity to sleeping areas, and the time of day it occurs, to decide whether a dog's barking crosses from ordinary to actionable.
Because the listed acts are enumerated as presumptively unreasonable, a complaint about a dog that barks for extended stretches, especially overnight, carries more weight under this section than an isolated bark or two. The rule was adopted by Ordinance No. 10-2012-13 on December 12, 2012, and sits alongside the chapter's horn, exhaust, sound-truck, and pneumatic-device provisions as one of eight enumerated categories of prohibited noise.
Violations & Fines
Each barking incident is judged against the eleven factors in section 10-304(b), and section 10-306 treats a continuing or recurring disturbance as a separate offense for every half-hour it persists, so an animal that barks through the night can generate multiple citations rather than one. Section 10-307 states no advance warning is required before enforcement, meaning police can cite on a first substantiated complaint without a prior notice-to-comply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my neighbor's barking dog a violation of Clarksville's noise ordinance?
Does the city need a decibel reading to cite a barking dog?
Can police cite a barking-dog complaint without warning the owner first?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clarksville
Compare Clarksville to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
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