Green Bay, WI Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 6-8 opens by declaring that keeping a large number of dogs in a residential area is a public nuisance, and subsection (f) extends that nuisance framing to noise: no owner or person in control of a dog may suffer, permit, or allow it to bark or bay in a way that detrimentally affects the peaceful repose of a property owner or resident within earshot. Enforcement officers weigh the volume of the barking, the time of day, how long the noise persists, and where the animal is located when deciding whether it crosses the line. Critically, if a dog is left unattended outdoors, the ordinance presumes the owner or handler is permitting the noise, so a barking complaint does not require proof the owner heard it happen.

The same section caps how many dogs a household can keep without a permit: no more than two dogs per dwelling unit without an excess animal permit, though a nursing litter can stay for up to eight weeks. Anywhere kennels are allowed, they must sit at least 100 feet from the boundary of the nearest residential lot, a buffer meant to keep barking and odor away from neighboring homes. Section 6-8 itself sets no separate dollar penalty for a noise violation, so a conviction defaults to the City's general forfeiture under § 1-6: not less than $1.00 nor more than $500.00 for a first offense, rising to $10.00 to $500.00 for a repeat violation. The City may also pursue a dog owner through a Circuit Court action under Wis. Stats. § 173.23(3), and nothing in the section limits the City or its officials from proceeding under state law instead.