Roanoke County, VA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Section 5-27(a) sets an objective, minute-by-minute noise test rather than leaving nuisance barking to an officer's judgment call. A dog crosses the line if it makes sound plainly audible at least once a minute for ten consecutive minutes either inside the dwelling unit, house or apartment of another person, or heard from fifty feet or more away from the animal; either trigger is declared a public nuisance and unlawful. Section 5-27(b) limits when an officer may actually impound the dog for that violation, disposing of it under the running-at-large impoundment procedure in § 5-29: impoundment is available only if the officer can't locate the keeper while the noise continues, if the keeper is unwilling or unable to stop the barking after being warned, or if the same dog has already drawn three or more separate violation notices and the officer observes a fourth.

Before escalating to the police department, § 5-27(c) asks the affected neighbor to try contacting the dog's keeper directly to resolve the problem. Section 5-27(d) leaves the enforcement path open on two tracks: an animal control or other law-enforcement officer can institute civil proceedings against the violator, and citizens may also institute their own civil proceedings to resolve barking dog problems without waiting on the county. The section cross-references the county's general noise ordinance at § 13-3, so a chronic barking complaint can also be pursued under that broader nuisance-noise framework.