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

Franklin County Code § 4-33 makes it unlawful for the owner or any caretaker of an animal to allow the animal to bark, meow, whine, howl, or make other sounds common to the species persistently or continuously for a period of thirty (30) minutes or longer, unless the animal is contained in an enclosure sufficient to baffle loud noises and render them reasonably unobjectionable. The rule exempts animals kept on land zoned for agricultural purposes, a properly permitted animal shelter caring for unwanted or stray animals, and a properly zoned commercial boarding kennel or other animal facility.

Enforcement follows a documentation requirement built into the ordinance itself: an animal control officer can cite the owner or custodian only if either the investigating officer personally witnessed the nuisance, or the officer has received a sworn affidavit from at least two unrelated adult witnesses living in different residences within a three-block radius, about 900 feet, attesting that the nuisance occurred. This two-witness affidavit rule means a single neighbor's complaint cannot support a citation on its own. Citations are issued and processed under the county's broader animal control citation procedure at §§ 4-27 through 4-29: once a ticket issues, the cited person has ten days to pay it or request a hearing before the county court, and an unpaid, uncontested ticket is automatically reduced to judgment and sent to collections. Animal Control officers, code enforcement and Sheriff's deputies are all designated enforcement officers under § 4-25.