Little Rock, AR Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 6-18 of the Little Rock Code of Ordinances reads in full: it is unlawful for any person to keep on his premises, or under his control, any dog which by loud and frequent barking and howling disturbs the reasonable peace and quiet of any person. The ordinance is deliberately open-ended: there is no fixed decibel meter reading or minutes-per-hour count written into the law, so an Animal Services officer or a certified law enforcement officer decides case by case whether the noise crosses from ordinary dog behavior into a nuisance that disturbs a neighbor's reasonable peace and quiet.

Enforcement runs through Sec. 6-2, the animal code's general enforcement section. Subsection (a) states that a person convicted of violating any provision of Chapter 6, including Sec. 6-18, is punished as provided in Sec. 1-9 of the Code. Subsection (b) creates the Division of Animal Services and places it under a city department for compliance oversight. Subsection (c) lets the city manager designate, in addition to certified law enforcement officers, specific city employees to issue citations, but only after they complete a training program covering the Code's provisions, department procedures, and the constitutional rights of a person accused of violating it.

A citation must state the nature of the violation, be signed by the person who issued it and who personally witnessed it, and carry a printed promise for the violator to sign committing to a municipal court appearance date. If the violator refuses to sign, the officer can note the refusal and file the citation anyway, or seek an arrest warrant by criminal affidavit.

Under Sec. 1-9(c), a barking dog conviction carries a fine of up to $1,000.00, doubled for each repeat offense, and if the disturbance is continuous, a separate fine of up to $500.00 for each day it continues unabated.