Gulfport, MS Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Gulfport, MS, 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
- Covered
- dogs, cats, or any fowl/animal
- Standard
- unreasonably loud and raucous noise
- List type
- non-exclusive, general ban still applies
- Penalty
- up to $1,000 fine / 90 days jail
- Civil remedy
- injunction for abatement as nuisance
Summary
Gulfport's noise ordinance lists 'the keeping of any fowl or animal which emits or makes unreasonably loud and raucous noise' as a specific violation of the city's general ban on disturbing noise, Sec. 7-10(c)(3). There is no decibel meter or duration test: the standard is whether the noise is unreasonably loud against the ordinary sensibilities of the inhabitants.
(b)Noises interfering with enjoyment of property or public peace and comfort prohibited. No person shall make or cause to be made any loud and raucous noise in the city which is offensive to the ordinary sensibilities of the inhabitants of the city, which noise renders the enjoyment of life or property uncomfortable or interferes with public peace and comfort.(c)Specific noises interfering with enjoyment of property or public peace and comfort enumerated. The following acts, among others, are declared to create loud and raucous noises, and shall be deemed a violation of this section, but such enumeration shall not be deemed to be exclusive:...(3)The keeping of any fowl or animal which emits or makes unreasonably loud and raucous noise.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 68).
Full Breakdown
Sec. ' Item (c)(3), covering 'any fowl or animal,' reaches a barking dog, a crowing rooster, or any other animal noise, without setting a decibel threshold or a minimum duration; enforcement instead turns on whether the noise is 'unreasonably loud and raucous' by the standard of the neighborhood's ordinary sensibilities. Because the enumerated list is non-exclusive, a persistent barking complaint can also be charged under the general subsection (b) standard even if an officer does not cite (c)(3) directly. The ordinance is enforced by the Gulfport Police Department, and subsection (i) gives it a second track: violations of subsections (b) through (g) are declared a nuisance, so a neighbor can also seek a restraining order or injunction from a court of competent jurisdiction rather than waiting on a criminal citation.
Violations & Fines
A conviction under Sec. 7-10 for a barking-dog complaint is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to 90 days, or both, under subsection (i), with each day the noise continues counted as a separate offense; the same subsection lets a court order abatement by injunction as a civil remedy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a decibel limit for a barking dog in Gulfport?
Who do I call about a neighbor's barking dog in Gulfport?
What's the penalty if someone is convicted of a noisy-animal violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gulfport
Compare Gulfport to another location·View the Mississippi noise ordinances overview
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