Barking dog rules in Knox County, TN — also called nuisance dog, dog noise, or excessive barking ordinances — define when a barking dog becomes a code violation and how complaints are handled.
Knox County code makes it a violation to keep an animal that habitually barks, whines, or makes objectionable noise that is a nuisance to neighbors. 'Habitually' means continuously for 10 minutes, or intermittently for one-half hour or more.
Knox County Code section 6-33 defines a barking-dog nuisance precisely: an owner whose animal 'habitually barks, whines, meows, squawks or causes other objectionable noise resulting in a nuisance to a neighboring resident' violates the animals chapter. The code fixes the threshold: 'habitually' means barking continuously for 10 minutes, or intermittently for one-half hour or more. Enforcement is through Knox County Animal Control (Young-Williams Animal Center). This applies in the unincorporated county; Knoxville and Farragut have separate animal-noise provisions.
Handled as an animal-control nuisance violation under Knox County Code ch. 6; owners may be cited and required to abate the noise.
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