Saint Paul, MN Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)
Barking dog rules in Saint Paul, MN, 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
- Citation
- Saint Paul Legislative Code § 293.02(c)
- Test
- Noise recurs 5 min, gaps under 1 min
- Covers
- Any animal, not just dogs
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 90 days jail
- Enforced by
- SPPD and Animal Control
Summary
Saint Paul Legislative Code § 293.02(c) makes it a violation to own, keep or harbor any animal whose noise repeatedly annoys a neighbor: specifically, noise audible from outside the property that recurs over at least five minutes with no gap longer than one minute. It's a misdemeanor enforced by Saint Paul police and Animal Control.
(c)Animals. It is a violation of this section to own, keep, have in possession, or harbor any animal or animals which make any noise to the reasonable annoyance of another person or persons. The phrase "to the reasonable annoyance of another person or persons" includes, but is not limited to, the creation of any noise by any animal or animals which can be heard by any person, including the animal control officer or a law enforcement officer, from a location outside of the building or premises where the animal or animals are located and which animal noise occurs repeatedly over at least a five-minute period of time with no more than a one-minute lapse of time between each animal noise during the five-minute period.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 133 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
02(c) sits inside the broader "Noise as a public nuisance" section of Chapter 293 and gives Saint Paul's bright-line test for a barking-dog complaint. " A dog that barks intermittently with long quiet stretches doesn't meet the test; one that barks in short, closely spaced bursts for five minutes straight does. The rule applies to "any animal or animals," so it reaches cats, birds and other pets as well as dogs, and it attaches liability to whoever "owns, keeps, has in possession, or harbors" the animal, not just the person present at the time of the complaint.
Enforcement runs through the same Chapter 293 penalty at subsection (f): a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or 90 days in jail, with each day of the violation chargeable as a separate offense. In practice, Saint Paul's Animal Control division and the police department both take barking complaints, and officers typically document the five-minute/one-minute pattern themselves or rely on a neighbor's timestamped log before issuing a citation, since the statute ties enforcement to what "can be heard by any person" from outside the premises.
Violations & Fines
A § 293.02(c) violation is a misdemeanor under the Chapter 293 penalty at subsection (f): up to a $1,000 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or both, and each day the noise pattern continues counts as a separate offense. Saint Paul police and Animal Control both have authority to cite.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a dog have to bark before it's a violation in Saint Paul?
Does the barking-dog rule only cover dogs?
Who enforces barking-dog complaints in Saint Paul?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Saint Paul
Compare Saint Paul to another location·View the Minnesota noise ordinances overview
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