Johnston County, NC Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Johnston County Code § 12-32(d)(4) declares the keeping of any animal, except livestock and poultry maintained consistent with the zoning applicable to the property, a loud and disturbing noise violation when it causes frequent or long-continued noise on a regular basis that disturbs the comfort and repose of a person of reasonable and ordinary firmness and sensibilities. The provision folds into the county's broader unreasonably-loud-noise standard in section 12-32(a) through (c), so deputies weigh the same factors used for any noise complaint: time of day, proximity to residential structures, whether the noise is recurrent or constant, and whether it can be controlled without unreasonable effort by the owner.

What sets the animal-noise clause apart from every other listed violation in subsection (d) is its built-in grace period: if the barking or other animal noise continues, or if complaints come in from other households, the ordinance requires that the owner be granted ten working days to remedy and rectify the situation before a citation can be issued. That notice period applies only to this subsection; it does not extend to amplified-sound, vehicle-noise, or horn violations listed elsewhere in section 12-32(d). Livestock and poultry kept in a manner consistent with the property's zoning classification are carved out entirely and cannot be cited under this clause.