Lafayette, LA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 34-369(7) governs barking, howling, and other animal vocalizations as a 'restricted use,' meaning it overrides the general decibel framework of § 34-366 rather than working alongside it: the section states flatly that 'the limits set forth in Table I of section 34-366 do not apply' to animal noise. Instead of a sound-level measurement, the standard is a vocalization count, no domestic animal, or any other animal not in a state of natural liberty, may bark, howl, or otherwise vocalize more than 60 times within any ten-minute window.

Because the rule counts occurrences rather than decibels, a noise control officer or any law enforcement officer with jurisdiction can substantiate a violation by direct observation rather than a calibrated sound level meter reading, consistent with § 34-365's provision that assessments not requiring a meter can still support a citation. The rule reaches any animal, not just dogs, but carves out working and commercial animal contexts: establishments and commercial kennels, pet shops, and veterinary hospitals defined in § 10-71, along with animal shelters under public jurisdiction and humane organizations, are exempt from the 60-vocalization cap.

A residential dog owner whose animal repeatedly exceeds the threshold, for example during extended absences or triggered by a neighboring yard, faces the same enforcement track as any other restricted noise source under § 34-369.