Chatham County, GA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Sec. 22-108(a) makes the owner or custodian of any animal or fowl responsible for correcting and abating any nuisance arising from keeping that animal. Sec. 22-108(b) is the operative barking-dog rule: no person may allow an animal or fowl that howls, barks, or emits audible sounds that are unreasonably loud or disturbing, of a character, intensity, and duration that disturbs the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. The section defines a "barking dog" as one that barks, bays, cries, or howls intermittently for enough time and at a noise level to be observed by law enforcement or recorded by a citizen, day or night, regardless of whether the dog is physically on private property.

The section builds in a defense: a dog is not a "barking dog" for enforcement purposes if, at the moment it is barking, a person is trespassing or threatening to trespass on the private property where the dog is kept. Sec. 22-108(c) exempts commercial establishments permitted for boarding, breeding, or veterinary use from the barking-dog rule entirely. Enforcement flows through the chapter's general citation authority at Sec. 22-106: an Animal Services officer may issue a citation to the owner, and conviction before the Magistrate Court of Chatham County carries a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 per count, with the court also empowered to order restitution to anyone harmed by the nuisance.