Greenwood County, SC Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Greenwood County, SC, 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
- § 11-3-2(a)(3)
- Prohibited
- Animal/bird noise disturbing comfort of others
- Audibility test
- Plainly audible at 50 feet
- Maximum penalty
- $200 fine or 30 days jail
- Related civil remedy
- § 11-1-1 nuisance injunction/damages
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 30-96, 11-19-96
Summary
Greenwood County's noise ordinance makes it a violation to keep any animal or bird that causes frequent or long-continued noise disturbing a neighbor's comfort or repose. The rule sits inside the general noise code and carries fines up to $200 for unincorporated county residents.
(a)It shall be unlawful for any persons to make, continue, or cause to be continued, any loud, excessive, unnecessary, or disturbing noise, or any noise which either annoys, disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others, within the limits of the unincorporated area of the county, except with the permit of the sheriff. ( ... 3)Pets. ... The keeping of any animal or bird which, by causing frequent or long continued noise, shall disturb the comfort or repose of any person in the vicinity.
Full Breakdown
Greenwood County Code § 11-3-2(a)(3), titled "Pets," declares it a loud, excessive, unnecessary, or disturbing noise for anyone to keep "any animal or bird which, by causing frequent or long continued noise, shall disturb the comfort or repose of any person in the vicinity." The clause is one of fifteen specific examples listed under the county's general noise prohibition in § 11-3-2(a), which bars any loud, excessive, unnecessary, or disturbing noise in the unincorporated county without a sheriff's permit. Subsection (b) sets an objective audibility standard, defining a regulated noise as one "plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from its source," so a barking dog does not need to be measured in decibels to violate the section.
Subsection (d) allows the complaints of three or more persons, or one complaint combined with a report from the county sheriff or a deputy, to serve as prima facie evidence that the animal noise violates the standard, and subsection (e) authorizes the sheriff to abate, as a public nuisance, any such noise audible in public streets or places. This barking-animal clause is separate from § 11-1-1, which lets any person who observes a dog engaging in a nuisance sue the owner directly for an injunction or damages. Adopted by Ordinance No. 30-96, § I, November 19, 1996, § 11-3-2 applies only within unincorporated Greenwood County.
Violations & Fines
A pet-noise violation of § 11-3-2(a)(3) is punishable under subsection (f) by a fine of up to $200.00 or imprisonment of up to 30 days, and each day the barking or noise continues is charged as a separate offense. The county sheriff enforces the rule and can abate a public nuisance directly when the standard is met.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many barking complaints does it take before the sheriff can act?
Is there a separate rule for suing a neighbor over a barking dog?
Does the barking-dog rule apply inside the City of Greenwood?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Greenwood County
Compare Greenwood County to another location·View the South Carolina noise ordinances overview
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