Harrisburg, PA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

The City of Harrisburg treats animal noise as a nuisance, not as a decibel violation. Section 3-505.2 A bars anyone from keeping a dog, cat or other animal in the City so as to create offensive odors, excessive noise or unsanitary conditions that are a menace to the health, comfort or safety of the public. Subsection B then declares that frequent and habitual barking, howling, screeching, yelping or baying that disturbs the quiet of any person or the community is a nuisance, and it puts the duty on the owner or person having custody of the animal not to harbor it or permit it to continue. Subsection E exempts persons with physical handicaps or defective eyesight or hearing while they rely on a dog specifically trained for those purposes.

The enforcement path in the City of Harrisburg is built around neighbors. Under § 3-505.3, when two or more persons of different households complain, the Bureau of Police, through the Chief of Police, checks whether a similar complaint was made against the same owner in the preceding 60 days. If none was, the Chief of Police has a warning notice served in person or by United States mail. A second complaint by at least two persons of different households puts the owner in violation of the chapter.

Section 3-505.3 E adds an evidence rule. No one is convicted under § 3-505.2 B except on the evidence of one or more witnesses from a household other than the complainant's, in addition to the complainant, unless the animal has bitten a human being on at least one prior occasion. Section 3-505.11 names the Animal Control Officer and other law enforcement personnel appointed by the Chief of Police as the enforcers of Chapter 3-505.