McCracken County, KY Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

County Code § 50.01 defines PUBLIC NUISANCE to include an animal that molests passers-by, attacks, damages property, is excessively at large, creates unsanitary conditions, disturbs the peace, or, specifically, "makes noise in an excessive, continuous or untimely manner." Section 50.06(C) then makes it unlawful for any owner to possess an animal that conducts itself as a public nuisance, covering a persistently barking dog. McCracken County Animal Control, whose officers are law enforcement officers for animal-control purposes under § 50.01, investigates nuisance complaints and can involve other law enforcement agencies as needed. Violations of § 50.06(C) fall under the general at-large and nuisance penalty in § 50.99(H), which also covers running-at-large and public-nuisance violations under § 50.06(A) and (D). The Animal Control chapter applies only in unincorporated McCracken County; Paducah, the county seat, enforces its own separate city noise and animal code, so a barking-dog complaint inside Paducah city limits goes to city authorities rather than the county.