Clay, NY Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Clay, NY, 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
- Provision
- § 69-9D, Habitually barking dog
- Standard
- Continual barking/howling/whining unreasonably disturbing
- Enforcement
- Animal Control Officers investigate, issue tickets
- 1st penalty
- $100 first offense (§ 69-18)
- Escalating penalty
- $150 second, up to $200+/15 days third
- Owner definition
- Includes anyone harboring dog one week
Summary
The Town of Clay's dog law bars any person from keeping a dog on their premises that habitually disturbs neighbors through continual barking, howling or whining. Section 69-9D makes it a violation to keep, suffer or permit a dog whose continual barking, howling, whining or other frequent or long-continued noise unreasonably disturbs the comfort or repose of any person in the Town.
D. Habitually barking dog. No person shall keep, suffer or permit to be kept on the premises occupied by such person any dog which by its continual barking, howling or whining or other frequent or long-continued noises shall unreasonably disturb the comfort or repose of any person.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 69, Article I, Section 69-9, Rules and Restrictions, was adopted November 15, 2010 by L.L. No. 4-2010 as part of the Town's Animal Population Control and Dog Licensing Law. Subsection D, titled Habitually barking dog, makes it unlawful for any person to keep, suffer or permit to be kept on premises they occupy any dog which, by its continual barking, howling or whining or other frequent or long-continued noises, unreasonably disturbs the comfort or repose of any person. The rule reaches the dog owner or anyone harboring the dog on the property, not just an owner of record, since Section 69-4 defines OWNER to include any person who owns, keeps, harbors or has care, custody or control of the dog, and treats anyone harboring a dog for a week before a complaint as its owner.
The same section also bars a dog, leashed or not, from damaging property or leaving waste on another's land without approval, and requires premises where a dog is kept to be kept clean and sanitary under Subsection E. Animal Control Officers, who also enforce the leash and licensing provisions of the chapter, investigate barking-dog complaints under Section 69-10 and may issue an appearance ticket returnable to the Town Justice Court rather than filing a criminal complaint directly, giving the dog owner the option to answer by mail within five days under Section 69-10B.
Violations & Fines
Section 69-18, amended March 7, 2016 by L.L. No. 4-2016, applies to any violation of the Animal Population Control and Dog Licensing Law, including a habitually barking dog: a civil penalty of $100 for a first offense, $150 for a second offense, and up to $200 and/or imprisonment for not more than 15 days for a third or later offense. An Animal Control Officer can issue an appearance ticket, and failing to appear on the return date can lead to forfeited security and a warrant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Clay require a set number of complaints before a barking dog is a violation?
Who investigates a barking dog complaint in the Town of Clay?
Can the dog's owner be cited even if a tenant or house-sitter was watching the dog?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clay
New York rules heatmap·Compare Clay to another location·View the New York noise ordinances overview
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Barking Dogs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle barking dogs.