Decatur, AL Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Decatur, AL, 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
- Animals covered
- Any domestic or farm animal or fowl, including cats and dogs
- Standard
- Public or private nuisance due to insects, vermin, odors or noises
- Numeric noise limit
- None printed in § 16-15
- Notice path
- Written notice, then misdemeanor if not cured (§ 16-12)
- Repeat rule
- Third violation in two years: summons without prior notice
- General penalty
- Fine of $1 to $500, up to six months in jail (§ 1-8)
Summary
Section 16-15 of the Decatur City Code makes it unlawful to keep any domestic or farm animal or fowl, including cats and dogs, in a way that becomes a public or private nuisance due to insects, vermin, obnoxious odors or noises. The code sets no decibel level or quiet hours for animals.
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep any domestic or farm animal or fowl, including cats and dogs, within the corporate limits of the city in any such manner as will be or may become a menace to public health, or in any such manner as to constitute a public or private nuisance due to insects, vermin, obnoxious odors or noises.
Full Breakdown
Decatur handles barking dogs and other animal noise through a single nuisance standard rather than a measured limit. Section 16-15 reads on any domestic or farm animal or fowl kept within the corporate limits of the City of Decatur, Alabama, and it names cats and dogs expressly. The prohibited conduct is keeping the animal in such a manner as to constitute a public or private nuisance due to insects, vermin, obnoxious odors or noises. The same sentence bars keeping an animal in a way that is or becomes a menace to public health. Because the test is nuisance, the question is whether the noise reaches the level of a public or private nuisance, and the section prints no number of minutes, no hours of the day and no decibel reading.
Section 16-12 turns that standard into an enforcement path. It declares each unlawful act defined in §§ 16-14, 16-14.1 and 16-15 a public nuisance. When the owner or person in charge fails to make the premises lawful, or fails to remove the cause of the violation, within the required time after written notice from the respective city department, that person is guilty of a misdemeanor. When the same type of violation recurs a third or more times within a two-year period, the city department can issue a summons and complaint without prior written notice.
Section 16-13 adds that when an owner or person in charge fails or refuses to abate nuisances described in § 16-15 after notice, the city is authorized to do the work at the owner's expense, with the cost a lien on the property. Separately, the standard for sound control adopted in § 16-9.1 names the chief of police as sound control official for amplified and mechanical sound sources.
Violations & Fines
A violation left uncured after written notice is a misdemeanor under § 16-12. The general penalty in § 1-8 is a fine of not less than $1 nor more than $500, with up to six months in jail at the municipal judge's discretion, and each day of continuing violation is a separate offense. After a third same-type violation within two years the city department can summons the owner with no prior notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a dog barking ordinance in Decatur, Alabama?
Does a neighbor's complaint lead straight to a fine?
Can the city skip the warning for a repeat problem?
Do chickens and other farm animals count under the same rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Decatur
Compare Decatur to another location·View the Alabama noise ordinances overview
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