Memphis, TN Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Memphis, 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.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Memphis Code § 9-68-7
- Covers
- Any animal, bird, or fowl
- Standard
- Frequent or long-continued noise disturbance
- Enforcement
- Complaint-driven, Memphis Animal Services
- Fine
- Up to $50 per violation
- Each day
- Separate offense
Summary
Memphis Code § 9-68-7 makes it unlawful to keep any animal, bird or fowl whose frequent or long-continued noise disturbs the comfort or repose of anyone nearby. There's no decibel meter or fixed duration test: it's a nuisance standard enforced on a complaint basis by animal services or code enforcement.
The keeping of any animal, bird or fowl which, by causing frequent or long continued noise, shall disturb the comfort or repose of any person in the vicinity is prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32 | Charter: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
Section 9-68-7 sits in Chapter 9-68 (Noise Control) immediately after the chapter's building-hours rule, and it covers barking dogs the same way the chapter covers every other noise source: by prohibiting 'frequent or long continued noise' that disturbs a neighbor's comfort or repose, rather than by setting a decibel limit or a specific number of minutes of barking. The provision predates the modern animal-control code (it traces to Code 1967 § 24-7 and Code 1985 § 22-7) and still governs any 'animal, bird or fowl' kept within the city, not dogs alone.
Because the standard is subjective, enforcement in practice runs on neighbor complaints: Memphis Animal Services or a code enforcement officer investigates, and if the officer's own observation or documented complaints support a finding that the noise is frequent or long-continued and disturbs the vicinity, a citation can issue. The section works alongside § 9-68-1's general ban on any 'unreasonably loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise,' so a persistent barking complaint can be charged under either provision. 00-per-violation general penalty, with each day of continuing disturbance chargeable as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
A § 9-68-7 violation is a misdemeanor under the Code's general penalty, § 1-24-1(A): a fine of up to $50.00 for each separate violation, set within that cap at the city judge's discretion, with continuing daily disturbance treated as a new offense each day. Chapter 9-68 doesn't carry the enhanced $200.00 minimum penalty that applies to the Health and Sanitation chapters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to let my dog bark all the time in Memphis?
Who enforces the barking-dog rule in Memphis?
What's the penalty for a noisy-animal citation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Memphis
Compare Memphis to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
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