Manatee County, FL Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Sec. 2-4-13(b) bars any dog or cat from materially disturbing the peace or interfering with the enjoyment of life or property through persistent or repetitive barking, yelping, whining, howling, meowing, squealing, screaming, or other objectionable noise for a persistent period of time. Before Animal Services will even investigate, the division must receive a formal complaint that includes the address of the violation. Before a citation can issue, the division must be in receipt of sworn affidavits from the owners or occupants of at least two different lots or nearby residences alleging the violation, unless the investigating officer has probable cause based on personal eyewitness testimony instead.

Each affidavit must be sworn before someone authorized to take acknowledgements and must state the nature and date of the violation, the animal's owner or custodian, the violation address, and a description of the animal. Subsection (c) gives an owner a defense if, at the time of the noise, someone was committing a crime, tort, or trespass on the owner's property, or was teasing, tormenting, abusing, or assaulting the animal. Subsection (d) exempts animal boarding facilities and humane organizations from the noise rule entirely. Enforcement runs through the general animal ordinance penalty scheme in Sec.

2-4-25: a violation is a noncriminal infraction, and officers may issue a courtesy notice of complaint first, giving the owner a chance to fix the problem before any penalty is imposed.