Onslow County, NC Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Onslow County, NC, 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
- Sec. 11-1(b)(4)
- Trigger
- Frequent or long-continued animal noise
- Numeric bark limit
- None specified
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 6 months
- State authority
- G.S. 153A-133
Summary
Onslow County treats a dog or other animal whose frequent or long-continued noise disturbs a neighbor's comfort and repose as a noise violation. There is no numeric bark-count trigger; the standard is disturbance of a person in the vicinity, enforced under the general noise penalty.
The keeping of any animal which, by causing frequent or long continued noise, shall disturb the comfort and repose of any person in the vicinity.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 10).
Full Breakdown
Onslow County Code of Ordinances Sec. " This sits inside the broader noise section, Sec. 11-1(a), which prohibits any unreasonably loud and disturbing noise detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of an individual, and the acts listed in subsection (b) are stated to be a nonexclusive illustration rather than a closed list. The provision does not require a specific number of barks or minutes; the trigger is whether the animal's frequent or long-continued noise disturbs the comfort and repose of a person nearby, which an animal control officer or sheriff's deputy assesses on complaint.
S. 153A-133, and it sits in Chapter 11 alongside the county's separate animal control provisions in Chapter 4, which govern licensing, leash and rabies requirements but do not duplicate this noise standard.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Sec. 11-1(b)(4) is punished under the general penalty in Sec. 1-6: a fine of not more than $500.00 or imprisonment of not more than six months for each offense, with each day the disturbance continues chargeable as a separate offense under Sec. 1-6(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a set number of barks before it's a violation in Onslow County?
Who enforces the barking dog rule?
What can happen if my dog's barking is cited?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Onslow County
Compare Onslow County to another location·View the North Carolina noise ordinances overview
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