Minnehaha County, SD Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Article III, Section 3.07(B) of the 2017 Minnehaha County Revised Animal Control Ordinance (MC52-17, adopted November 14, 2017) is the only noise-related provision in the county code. It applies only within a 'Residential Development Area' — defined in Section 1.06 as an area located in a residential zoning district, a residential subarea within a planned development zoning district, or a subdivision of 5 or more lots. The ordinance defines a 'nuisance' bark as 'an ongoing problem over several days and at several intervals throughout a 24 hour period for any length of time.' Enforcement procedure: the Animal Control Officer may use 'all reasonable means' to abate, including ordering the owner to make bona fide efforts to quiet the animal and impoundment. Critically, the ordinance imposes a two-witness rule: 'No summons and complaint shall be issued nor shall there be a conviction for violation of this Section unless there are at least two (2) complaining witnesses from separate households who shall have signed such complaint.' An Animal Control Officer who personally investigated and observed the behavior may substitute for the second witness. Commercial kennels operating under a conditional use permit are exempt. The rule applies to all animals (not just dogs) — but in practice, dogs generate nearly all complaints. Outside Residential Development Areas (rural agricultural land in unincorporated Minnehaha County), no barking-dog rule applies. Cities within the county (Sioux Falls, Brandon, Hartford, Dell Rapids) have their own animal-noise ordinances that supersede county rules within their corporate limits.