Granville County, NC Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Granville County, NC, 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
- Governing section
- Code § 26-31(b)(4), Unnecessary Noise
- Adopted
- Ord. of 10-4-1993
- Standard
- Frequent or long-continued noise disturbing repose
- No fixed count
- No set number of barks or minutes
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county only
- Nonpayment penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine or 30 days
Summary
Keeping a dog, bird, or other animal that causes frequent or long-continued noise disturbing a neighbor's comfort and repose is a declared violation in unincorporated Granville County under Code § 26-31(b)(4). The ordinance does not require a specific number of barks or minutes; frequent or long-continued disturbance to a nearby resident is the standard, enforced through the county's civil citation process.
(4)The keeping of any animal or bird which by causing frequent or long-continued noise shall disturb the comfort and repose of any person in the vicinity;
Full Breakdown
Granville County's board of commissioners folded animal noise into its general Unnecessary Noise ordinance rather than the separate animal control chapter. Code § 26-31(b)(4), adopted with the rest of the ordinance by Ord. of 10-4-1993, declares it a violation to keep any animal or bird which by causing frequent or long-continued noise shall disturb the comfort and repose of any person in the vicinity. The clause covers a chronically barking dog, a crowing rooster, or any other animal whose noise is frequent or long-continued and reaches a neighboring resident; a single short bark or an occasional noise does not meet the frequent-or-long-continued language.
This sits alongside Chapter 11's animal-control provisions on rabies, dangerous dogs and running at large, but the noise complaint itself is handled under § 26-31, not Chapter 11. Because subsection (b)(4) carries no chapter-specific fine, enforcement runs through the county's general civil-penalty procedure at Code § 1-6: an appropriate county official issues a warning citation first, giving the owner a chance to abate the noise, and a civil penalty citation follows if the disturbance continues, with 15 days to pay or correct before the county can sue for the penalty as a debt.
Section 1-6(c) makes willfully refusing to pay an imposed civil penalty a separate misdemeanor under G.S. 14-4, punishable by up to a $500.00 fine or 30 days in jail, and each day the animal noise continues is treated as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
A neighbor's complaint about a barking dog or noisy animal draws a warning citation from the county under § 1-6, asking the owner to abate the disturbance before a civil penalty citation follows. Refusing to pay an imposed civil penalty is itself a misdemeanor under § 1-6(c) and G.S. 14-4, carrying up to a $500.00 fine or 30 days in jail, with each day the noise continues counted as its own violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many times can my dog bark before it violates county code?
Is a rooster or other farm bird covered?
Where in the code is barking-dog noise handled?
What happens after I report a persistently barking dog?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Granville County
Compare Granville County to another location·View the North Carolina noise ordinances overview
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