Barking dog rules in Shelby County, 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.
Shelby County Code Sec. 16-64 prohibits keeping any animal that, by frequent or long-continued noise, disturbs the comfort or repose of any person nearby. It applies in unincorporated Shelby County and is enforced by fine under Sec. 16-67.
Sec. 16-64, within Chapter 16, Article III, is the county's animal-noise rule for unincorporated areas. It bans the keeping of any animal whose frequent or long-continued noise disturbs the comfort or repose of any person in the vicinity, covering barking dogs and noisy fowl alike. There is no fixed number-of-minutes threshold in the text; enforcement turns on frequency and duration. A violation is punishable under Sec. 16-67 by a fine up to $50.00, with each day a separate offense, and repeated violations become a nuisance abatable by injunction under Sec. 16-68. Separate Shelby County animal care and control rules (Chapter 4) also apply.
A barking or noisy animal that disturbs neighbors violates Sec. 16-64 and is punishable under Sec. 16-67 by a fine not to exceed $50.00 per violation, each continuing day a separate offense.
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See how Shelby County's barking dogs rules stack up against other locations.
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